.PEARY 

CTIC 
JOURNAL 


-*-  c 


TAKING  ON   AN   ESKIMO   PILOT. 


MY  ARCTIC  JOURNAL 

A  YEAR    AMONG   ICE-FIELDS    AND    ESKIMOS 
BY 

JOSEPHINE    DIEBITSCH-PEARY 


WITH   AN   ACCOUNT   OF 

THE  GREAT  WHITE  JOURNEY 

ACROSS  GREENLAND 
BY 

ROBERT  E.  PEARY 

CIVIL  ENGINEER,  U.  S.  NAVY 


THE   CONTEMPORARY    PUBLISHING    COMPANY 

NEW  YORK  AND  PHILADELPHIA 

1893 


Copyright,  1893. 
THE  CONTEMPORARY  PUBLISHING  COMPANY. 


THE  OEVINNE  PRESS,  NEW  YORK. 


INTRODUCTORY   NOTE 

On  June  6,  1891,  the  steam-whaler  "Kite,"  which  was  to 
bear  the  expedition  of  the  Philadelphia  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  northward,  set  sail  from  the  port  of  New  -  York,  her 
destination  being  Whale  Sound,  on  the  northwest  coast  of  Green- 
land, where  it  had  been  determined  to  pass  the  winter,  prelimi- 
nary to  the  long  traverse  of  the  inland  ice  which  was  to  solve 
the  question  of  the  extension  of  Greenland  in  the  direction  of 
the  Pole.  The  members  of  the  expedition  numbered  but  five 
besides  the  commander,  Mr.  Peary,  and  his  wife.  They  were 
Dr.  F.  A.  Cook,  Messrs.  Langdon  Gibson,  Eivind  Astrup,  and 
John  T.  Verhocff,  and  Mr.  Peary  s  faithful  colored  attendant 
in  his  surveying  labors  in  Nicaragua,  Matthew  Henson.  This 
was  the  smallest  number  that  had  ever  been  banded  togctlicr 
for  extended  explorations  in  the  high  Arctic  zone.  A  year  and 
a  quarter  after  their  departure,  with  the  aid  of  a  relief  expedi- 
tion conducted  by  Professor  Angelo  Heilprin,  Mr.  Peary's  party, 
lacking  one  of  its  members,  the  unfortunate  Mr.  Vcrhocff,  re- 
turned to  the  American  shore.  The  explorer  had  traversed 
northern  Greenland  from  coast  to  coast,  and  Jiad  added  a 
remarkable  chapter  to  the  history  of  Arctic  exploration. 
The  main  results  of  Mr.  Peary's  journey  were  : 
The  determination  of  the  rapid  convergence  of  the  shores  of 
Greenland  above  the  7 8th  parallel  of  latitude,  and  consequently 
the  practical  demonstration  of  the  insularity  of  this  great 
land-mass  ; 


2  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

The  discovery  of  the  existence  of  ice- free  land-masses  to  the 
northward  of  Greenland ;  and 

The  delineation  of  the  northward  extension  of  the  great 
Greenland  ice -cap. 

In  the  following  pages  Mrs.  Peary  recounts  her  experiences 
of  a  full  twelvemonth  spent  on  the  shores  of  McCormick  Bay, 
midway  between  the  Arctic  Circle  and  the  North  Pole.  The 
Eskimos  with  whom  she  came  in  contact  belong  to  a  little  tribe 
of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  individuals,  completely  isolated 
from  the  rest  of  the  world.  They  are  separated  by  hundreds  of 
miles  from  their  nearest  neighbors,  with  whom  they  have  no 
intercourse  whatever.  These  people  had  never  seen  a  white 
woman,  and  some  of  them  had  never  beheld  a  civilized  being. 
The  opportunities  which  Mrs.  Peary  had  of  observing  their 
manners  and  mode  of  life  have  enabled  her  to  make  a  valuable 
contribution  to  ethnological  learning. 

THE  PUBLISHERS. 


PREFACE 

This  plain  and  simple  narrative  of  a  year  spent  by  a  re- 
fined woman  in  the  realm  of  the  dreaded  Frost  King  has 
been  written  only  after  persistent  and  urgent  pressure  from 
friends,  by  one  who  shrank  from  publicity,  and  who  reluc- 
tantly yielded  to  the  idea  that  her  experiences  might  be  of 
interest  to  others  besides  her  immediate  friends. 

I  have  been  requested  to  write  a  few  words  of  introduc- 
tion ;  and  while  there  may  be  some  to  whom  it  might  occur 
that  I  was  too  much  interested  to  perform  this  task  properly, 
it  must  nevertheless  be  admitted  that  there  is  probably  no 
one  better  fitted  than  myself  to  do  it.  Little,  indeed,  need 
be  said. 

The  feeling  that  led  Mrs.  Peary  through  these  experiences 
was  first  and  foremost  a  desire  to  be  by  my  side,  coupled  with 
the  conviction  that  she  was  fitted  physically  as  well  as  other- 
wise to  share  with  me  a  portion  at  least  of  the  fatigues  and 
hardships  of  the  work.  I  fully  concurred  in  this  feeling,  and 
yet,  in  spite  of  my  oft-expressed  view  that  the  dangers  of  life 
and  work  in  the  Arctic  regions  have  been  greatly  exaggerated, 
I  cannot  but  admire  her  courage.  She  has  been  where  no 
white  woman  has  ever  been,  and  where  many  a  man  has  hesi- 
tated to  go ;  and  she  has  seen  phases  of  the  life  of  the  most 


4  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

northerly  tribe  of  human  beings  on  the  globe,  and  in  many 
ways  has  been  enabled  to  get  a  closer  insight  into  their  ways 
and  customs  than  had  been  obtained  before. 

I  rarely,  if  ever,  take  up  the  thread  of  our  Arctic  expe- 
riences without  reverting  to  two  pictures  :  one  is  the  first 
night  that  we  spent  on  the  Greenland  shore  after  the  depar- 
ture of  the  "Kite,"  when,  in  a  little  tent  on  the  rocks — a  tent 
which  the  furious  wind  threatened  every  moment  to  carry 
away  bodily — she  watched  by  my  side  as  I  lay  a  helpless 
cripple  with  a  broken  leg,  our  small  party  the  only  human 
beings  on  that  shore,  and  the  little  "  Kite,"  from  which  we 
had  landed,  drifted  far  out  among  the  ice  by  the  storm,  and 
invisible  through  the  rain.  Long  afterward  she  told  me  that 
every  unwonted  sound  of  the  wind  set  her  heart  beating  with 
the  thoughts  of  some  hungry  bear  roaming  along  the  shore 
and  attracted  by  the  unusual  sight  of  the  tent ;  yet  she  never 
gave  a  sign  at  the  time  of  her  fears,  lest  it  should  disturb  me. 

The  other  picture  is  that  of  a  scene  perhaps  a  month  or 
two  later,  when  —  myself  still  a  cripple,  but  not  entirely 
helpless  —  this  same  woman  sat  for  an  hour  beside  me  in  the 
stern  of  a  boat,  calmly  reloading  our  empty  firearms  while  a 
herd  of  infuriated  walrus  about  us  thrust  their  savage  heads 
with  gleaming  tusks  and  bloodshot  eyes  out  of  the  water 
close  to  the  muzzles  of  our  rifles,  so  that  she  could  have 
touched  them  with  her  hand,  in  their  efforts  to  get  their 
tusks  over  the  gunwale  and  capsize  the  boat.  I  may  per- 
haps be  pardoned  for  saying  that  I  never  think  of  these 


PREFACE  5 

two    experiences  without    a    thrill   of  pride    and    admiration 
for  her  pluck. 

In  reading  the  pages  of  this  narrative  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  within  sixty  miles  of  where  Kane  and  his  little 
party  endured  such  untold  sufferings,  within  eighty  miles  of 
where  Greely's  men  one  by  one  starved  to  death,  and  within 
less  than  fifty  miles  of  where  Hayes  and  his  party  and  one 
portion  of  the  "  Polaris  "  party  underwent  their  Arctic  trials 
and  tribulations,  this  tenderly  nurtured  woman  lived  for  a 
year  in  safety  and  comfort:  in  the  summer-time  climbed 
over  the  lichen-covered  rocks,  picking  flowers  and  singing  fa- 
miliar home  songs,  shot  deer,  ptarmigan,  and  ducks  in  the 
valleys  and  lakes,  and  even  tried  her  hand  at  seal,  walrus, 
and  narwhal  in  the  bays ;  and  through  the  long,  dark  winter 
night,  with  her  nimble  fingers  and  ready  woman's  insight, 
was  of  inestimable  assistance  in  devising  and  perfecting  the 
details  of  the  costumes  which  enabled  Astrup  and  myself  to 
make  our  journey  across  the  great  ice-cap  in  actual  comfort. 

Perhaps  no  greater  or  more  convincing  proof  than  this 
could  be  desired  of  what  great  improvements  have  been  made 
in  Arctic  methods.  That  neither  Mrs.  Peary  nor  myself  re- 
gret her  Arctic  experiences,  or  consider  them  ill-advised,  may 
be  inferred  from  the  fact  that  she  is  once  more  by  my  side  in 
my  effort  to  throw  more  light  on  the  great  Arctic  mystery. 

R.  E.  PEARY, 

Civil  Engineer,  U.  S.  N. 
FALCON  HARBOR,  BOWDOIN  BAY, 

GREENLAND,  August  20,  1893. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS 

PAGE 

NORTHWARD  BOUND 9 

IN  THE  MELVILLE  BAY  PACK 18 

ESTABLISHING  OURSELVES  31 

HUNTS  AND  EXPLORATIONS    41 

BOAT  JOURNEYS  AND  PREPARATIONS  FOR  WINTER 54 

WINTER  UPON  Us  65 

ESKIMO  VISITORS , 74 

ARCTIC  FESTIVITIES 84 

THE  NEW  YEAR 101 

SUNSHINE  AND  STORM 112 

SLEDGE  JOURNEY  INTO  INGLEFIELD  GULF 124 

THE  SLEDGE  JOURNEY — (Continued} 139 

OFF  FOR  THE  INLAND  ICE 147 

WEARY  DAYS  OF  WAITING 156 

MY  CAMPING  EXPERIENCE  IN  TOOKTOO  VALLEY 168 

"  OOMIAKSOAK  TlGALAY  !  "    (THE  SHIP  HAS  COME  !) 176 

RETURN  OF  THE  EXPLORERS 182 

BOAT  JOURNEY  INTO  INGLEFIELD  GULF 189 

FAREWELL  TO  GREENLAND 200 

GREENLAND  REVISITED 211 

THE  GREAT  WHITE  JOURNEY 221 


CHAPTER   I 

NORTHWARD    BOUND 

First  Sight  of  Greenland  —  Frederikshaab  Glacier  —  Across  the  Arctic  Circle  — 
Perpetual  Daylight  —  Sunlit  Disko — The  Climb  to  the  Ice-cap  —  Dinner  at 
Inspector  Anderssen's  —  A  Native  Dance  —  From  Disko  to  Upernavik  —  Uper- 
navik  —  The  Governor  and  his  Wife — The  Duck  Islands  —  Gathering  Eggs 
and  Eider-down  and  Shooting  Ducks. 

Wednesday,  June  24.  We  have  sailed  and  tossed,  have 
broken  through  the  ice-barriers  of  Belle  Isle  Straits,  and  once 
more  ride  the  rolling  swells  of  the  broad  Atlantic.  Our  three 
days'  jam  in  the  ice  has  given  us  a  foretaste  of  Arctic  naviga- 
tion, but  the  good  little  "  Kite"  speeds  northward  with  a  con- 
fidence which  inspires  a  feeling  of  security  that  not  even  the 
famed  "  greyhounds  of  the  ocean  "  afford.  Genial  Captain 
Pike  is  on  the  bridge  and  off  the  bridge,  and  his  keen  eye  is 
casting  for  the  land.  When  I  came  on  deck  to-day  I  found 
the  bold,  wild  coast  of  Greenland  on  the  right.  It  was  a 
grand  sight  —  the  steep,  black  cliffs,  some  of  them  descending 
almost  vertically  to  the  sea,  their  tops  covered  with  dazzling 
snow,  and  the  inland  ice  flowing  through  the  depressions 
between  their  summits ;  at  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  gleamed  bergs 
of  various  sizes  and  shapes,  some  of  them  a  beautiful  blue, 
others  white  as  snow.  The  feature  of  the  day  was  the 


10 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


Frederikshaab  glacier,  which  comes  down  to  the  sea  in 
latitude  62°  30'.  It  did  not,  however,  impress  me  as  being 
very  grand,  owing  perhaps  to  our  being  so  far  from  it.  Its 
face  is  seventeen  miles  long,  and  we  could  see  it  like  a  wall 
of  white  marble  before  us.  Long  after  we  had  passed  it,  it 
still  appeared  to  be  with  us,  and  it  kept  us  company  nearly 
all  day.  Just  beyond  the  glacier  was  disclosed  the  most 


Out  on  the  Billowy  Sea. 
The  First  Fragment  of  Greenland  Ice. 

beautiful  mountain  scenery  imaginable.  The  weather  was 
deliciously  warm,  and  revealed  to  us  a  new  aspect  of  Arctic 
climate.  It  seems  strange  to  be  sitting  on  deck  in  a  light 
coat,  not  even  buttoned,  and  only  a  cap  on  my  head,  in 
the  most  brilliant  sunshine,  and  gazing  on  snow-covered 
mountains. 


NORTHWARD    BOUND 


II 


Thursday,  June  25.  We  were  promised  another  lovely 
day,  but  after  noon  the  weather  changed  and  a  cool  wind 
sprang  up,  which  helped  to  push  our  little  craft  along  at  a 
good  rate.  To-night  we  shall  have  the  midnight  sun  for  the 
first  time,  and  it  will  be  weeks,  even  months,  before  he  sets 
for  us  again.  Everything  on 

.  •iU»imu-\.:,&^ag«flM»k.i.j«ML« 

deck  is  dripping  from  the  fog 
which  has  gathered  about  us. 

Friday,  June  26.  In  spite  of 
the  thick  fog  we  have  been  mak- 
ing good  time,  and  expect  to  be 
in  Disko,  or  more  properly  God- 
havn,  about  noon  to-morrow. 
We  saw  our  first  eider-ducks 
to-day.  Numerous  bergs  again 
gleam  up  in  the  distance,  prob- 
ably the  output  of  the  Jakobs- 
havn  glacier. 

Tuesday,  June  30.  We  have 
been  in  a  constant  state  of  ex- 
citement since  Saturday  morn- 
ing, when  we  first  set  foot  on 
Greenland's  ice-bound  shores.  The  pilot,  a  half-breed  Eskimo, 
came  on  board  and  took  us  into  the  harbor  of  Godhavn  shortly 
after  nine  o'clock.  Mr.  Peary,  Captain  Pike,  Professor  Heil- 
prin,  and  myself  went  ashore  and  paid  our  respects  to  In- 
spector Anderssen  and  his  family.  They  were  very  attentive 


Capt.  Richard  Pike— "On  Duty." 


12  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

to  us,  and  invited  "  Mr.  and  Mistress  Peary  "  to  stay  with  them 
during  their  stop  in  Godhavn  —  a  pleasure  they  were,  however, 
compelled  to  forego.  In  the  afternoon  a  party  of  us  from  the 
"  Kite  "  set  out  on  our  first  Arctic  tramp,  our  objective  point 
being  the  summit  of  the  lofty  basalt  cliffs  that  tower  above 
the  harbor.  My  outfit  consisted  of  a  red  blanket  combination 
suit  reaching  to  the  knee,  long  knit  stockings,  a  short  eider- 
down flannel  skirt  reaching  to  the  ankles,  and  the  "kamiks,"  or 
long-legged  moccasins,  which  I  had  purchased  in  Sidney. 
The  day  was  exceptionally  fine  and  sunny,  and  we  started  off 
in  the  best  of  spirits.  Never  had  I  seen  so  many  different 
wild  flowers  in  bloom  at  once.  I  could  not  put  my  foot  down 
without  crushing  two  or  three  different  varieties.  Mr.  Gibson, 
while  chasing  a  butterfly,  slipped  and  strained  the  cords  of 
his  left  foot  so  that  he  was  obliged  to  return  to  the  ship. 
Never  had  I  stepped  on  moss  so  soft  and  beautiful,  all  shades 
of  green  and  red,  some  beds  of  it  covered  so  thickly  with  tiny 
pink  flowers  that  you  could  not  put  the  head  of  a  pin  down 
between  them.  We  gathered  and  pressed  as  many  flowers  as 
we  could  conveniently  carry  —  anemones,  yellow  poppies, 
mountain  pinks,  various  Ericacea,  etc.  Sometimes  our  path 
was  across  snow-drifts,  and  sometimes  we  were  ankle-deep  in 
flowers  and  moss.  Mountain  streams  came  tumbling  down  in 
every  little  gully,  and  their  water  was  so  delicious  that  it 
seemed  impossible  to  cross  one  of  these  streams  without 
stooping  to  drink.  Our  advance  was  very  slow,  as  we  could 
not  resist  the  temptation  of  constantly  stopping  to  look  back 


NORTHWARD   BOUND  13 

and  feast  upon  the  beauties  of  the  view.  Disko  Bay,  blue  as 
sapphire,  thickly  studded  with  icebergs  of  all  sizes  and  beauti- 
fully colored  by  the  sun's  rays,  lay  at  our  feet,  with  the  little 
settlement  of  Godhavn  on  one  side  and  the  brown  cliffs  tower- 
ing over  it.  As  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  the  sea  was  dotted 
with  icebergs,  which  looked  like  a  fleet  of  sail-boats.  The  scene 
was  simply  indescribable.  We  reached  the  summit,  at  an 
elevation  of  2400  feet,  and  built  a  cairn,  in  which  we  placed  a 
tin  box  containing  .a  piece  of  paper  with  our  names  written 
upon  it,  and  some  American  coins.  From  the  summit  of 
these  cliffs  we  stepped  upon  the  ice-cap,  which  seemed  to  roll 
right  down  to  their  tops.  The  temperature  was  91°  F.  in  the 
sun,  and  56°  in  the  shade.  As  we  descended  a  blue  mist 
seemed  to  hang  over  that  part  of  the  cliffs  that  lay  in  shadow, 
and  the  contrast  with  the  white  bergs  gleaming  in  the  sapphire 
waters  below  was  very  striking.  We  returned  to  the  foot  of 
the  cliff  after  eight  o'clock.  On  Sunday  we  made  another  ex- 
pedition, to  the  Blaese  Dael,  or  "  windy  valley,"  where  a 
beautiful  double  waterfall  comes  tumbling  through  the  hard 
rock,  into  which  it  has  graven  a  deep  channel.  We  gathered 
more  flowers,  and  collected  some  seaweed  ;  the  mosquitos, 
of  which  we  had  had  a  foretaste  the  day  before,  were  ex- 
tremely troublesome,  and  recalled  to  memory  the  shores  of 
New  Jersey.  When  we  reached  the  first  Eskimo  hut,  a 
number  of  the  piccaninnies1  came  to  me  and  presented  me 

1  The  Eskimos  frequently  designate  their  children  as  piccaninnies,  a  word  doubtless 
introduced  bv  the  whalers. 


14  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

with  bunches  of  wild  flowers.     We  gave  them  some  hardtack 
in  return,  and  they  were  happy. 

Mr.  Peary,  Professor  Heilprin,  myself,  and  two  other  mem- 
bers of  our  party  dined  with  the  inspector  in  the  evening, 
joining  some  members  of  the  Danish  community,  who  had 
also  been  invited.  The  course  consisted  of  fresh  codfish  with 
caper-sauce,  roast  ptarmigan,  potatoes  boiled  and  then 
browned;  and  for  dessert,  "Rudgrud,"  a  "dump,"  almonds, 
and  raisins.  There  was,  following  European  custom,  a  va- 
ried accompaniment  of  wines. 

After  dinner  the  gentlemen  went  up-stairs  to  examine  the 
geological  and  oological  collections  of  the  inspector,  while  the 
ladies  preferred  the  parlor  with  their  coffee.  Were  it  not  for 
the  outer  surroundings,  it  would  have  been  difficult  to  realize 
that  we  were  in  the  distant  Arctic  realm,  so  truly  homelike 
were  the  scenes  of  the  little  household,  and  so  cheerful  the 
little  that  was  necessary  to  make  living  here  not  only  com- 
fortable, but  pleasant.  The  entire  community  numbers  barely 
1 20  souls,  nine  tenths  of  whom  are  Eskimos,  mainly  half- 
breeds  ;  the  remainder  are  the  Danish  officials  and  their 
families,  whose  recreation  lies  almost  entirely  within  the  little 
circle  which  they  themselves  constitute. 

Toward  nine  o'clock  we  visited  the  storehouse,  where  a 
native  ball  was  in  progress.  Several  of  our  boys  went  the 
rounds  with  the  Eskimo  "  belles,"  but  for  me  the  odor  of  the 
interior  was  too  strong  to  permit  me  to  say  that  looking  on 
was  an  "unalloyed  pleasure."  The  steps  were  made  to  the 


NORTHWARD   BOUND  15 

music  of  stringed  instruments,  over  which  the  resident  half- 
breeds  have  acquired  a  fair  mastery.  The  participants  and 
onlookers  were  all  in  a  lively  frame  of  mind,  but  not  uproari- 
ous; and  at  the  appointed  time  of  closing — ten  o'clock — all 
traces  of  hilarity  had  virtually  been  banished. 

We  had  hoped  to  leave  early  on  the  following  morning,  but 
it  was  not  until  near  two  o'clock  that  the  fog  began  to  lift, 


The  Most  Northern  Outpost  of  Civilization 
on  the  Globe — Upernavik. 


and  that  a  departure  was  made  possible.  Firing  the  official 
salute,  and  dipping  our  colors,  we  gave  three  hearty  cheers  in 
honor  of  our  first  Greenland  hosts,  and  sailed  out  of  the  rock- 
bound  harbor.  It  soon  cleared  up,  and  we  were  able  to  make 
our  normal  seven  knots  an  hour.  This  morning  it  was  foggy 
for  a  while,  but  it  cleared  up  beautifully,  and  now  we  are  just 
skimming  along,  and  expect  to  reach  Upernavik,  the  most 
northern  of  the  Danish  settlements  in  Greenland,  about  nine 
o'clock  in  the  evening. 


1 6  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Thursday,  July  2.  We  did  not  reach  Upernavik  until  2.30 
yesterday  morning,  owing  to  a  very  strong  current  which  was 
running  against  us  all  the  way  from  Godhavn.  We  remained 
up  all  night,  and  at  1.30  A.  M.  were  enjoying  the  dazzling 
brightness  of  the  sunshine.  Mr.  Peary  took  a  number  of 
photographs  between  midnight  and  morning.  Upernavik  is  a 
very  different-looking  place  from  Godhavn.  There  are  four 
frame-houses  and  a  little  church.  The  natives  live  in  turf  huts, 
very  miserable-looking  habitations,  built  right  down  in  the 
mud.  As  soon  as  our  ship  steamed  into  the  harbor,  in 
which  two  Danish  vessels  were  at  anchor,  the  governor,  Herr 
Beyer,  came  on  board  with  his  lieutenant-governor,  a  young 
fellow  who  had  arrived  only  three  days  before.  We  returned 
the  visit  at  noon,  and  were  pleasantly  received  by  the  gover- 
nor and  his  wife,  a  charming  woman  of  about  thirty  years, 
who  had  been  married  but  a  year,  and  whose  fondness  for 
home  decoration  had  expressed  itself  in  the  pictures,  bric-a- 
brac,  fancy  embroideries,  and  flowering  plants  which  were 
everywhere  scattered  about,  and  helped  to  make  up  an  ex- 
tremely cozy  home.  As  in  all  other  houses  in  the  country, 
the  guests  were  treated  to  wine  immediately  on  entering,  and 
with  a  delicate  politeness  the  governor  presented  me  with  a 
corsage  bouquet  of  the  flowers  of  Upernavik,  neatly  tied  up 
with  the  colors  of  Denmark.  Our  visit  was  fruitful  in  the 
receipt  of  presents,  among  which  were  Eskimo  carvings,  a 
dozen  bottles  of  native  Greenland  beer,  and  a  box  of  "goodies," 
addressed  to  "Miss  Peary,"  and  to  be  opened,  as  a  reminder, 


NORTHWARD   BOUND  I/ 

on  Christmas  eve.  The  hospitality  shown  to  us  could  not 
have  been  more  marked  had  our  friendship  extended  over 
many  years. 

Our  visit  was  a  brief  one,  as  we  were  to  weigh  anchor  early 
in  the  afternoon.  We  steamed  away  from  Upernavik  and 
headed  north.  The  fog  had  cleared  away  and  disclosed  a 
giant  mountain  towering  above  us  in  the  harbor.  The  sun 
shone  brightly,  and  the  sea  was  smooth  as  glass  and  blue  as 
turquoise.  The  night  promised  to  be  a  beautiful  one,  but  I 
resisted  the  temptation  to  stay  up,  having  been  up  the  entire 
night  before,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  one  before  that.  At 
4  A.  M.  Captain  Pike  knocked  at  our  door  and  informed  us 
that  in  half  an  hour  we  would  be  at  the  Duck  Islands. 
Here  we  were  to  land  and  all  hands  shoot  eider-ducks  and 
gather  their  eggs  for  our  winter  supply.  We  were  soon  on 
shore,  and  then  began  a  day's  sport  such  as  I  had  often  read 
about,  but  never  expected  to  see.  The  ducks  flew  in  thick 
flocks  all  about  us,  and  on  every  side  were  nests  as  large  as  a 
large  hen-nest,  made  of  eider-down  and  containing  from  three 
to  six  eggs.  The  nests  were  not  hidden,  but  right  out  on  the 
rocks  in  full  sight.  Alas !  we  were  too  late ;  the  ducks  were 
breeding,  and  out  of  960  eggs  we  did  not  get  over  1 50  good 
ones.  As  I  had  not  taken  my  gun,  I  spent  the  time  in  gath- 
ering down,  and  collected  forty-three  pounds  in  five  hours. 
After  returning  to  the  "  Kite "  for  breakfast,  we  visited  a 
second  island,  and  there  I  bagged  a  bird,  much  to  my  satis- 
faction. Altogether  ninety-six  ducks  were  shot. 


CHAPTER    II 

IN   THE   MELVILLE    BAY    PACK 

Melville  Bay — On  the  Edge  of  the  Dreaded  Ice-pack — Fourth  of  July  —  Butting 
the  Ice  —  Accident  to  the  Leader  of  the  Expedition — Gloom  on  the  "Kite" — 
Blasting  the  "  Kite  "  out  of  a  Nip  — A  Real  Bear  and  a  Bear  Hunt  —  A  Chase  on 
the  Ice  —  A  Phantom  Ship —  Free  of  the  Pack  and  in  the  North  Water  at  Last  — 
The  Greenland  Shore  to  Barden  Bay  —  First  Sight  of  the  Arctic  Highlanders. 

Thursday,  July  2.  We  are  opposite  the  "  Devil's  Thumb," 
latitude  74°  20',  and  now,  at  8  P.  M.,  are  slowly  making 
our  way  through  the  ice  which  marks  the  entrance  into  the 
Melville  Bay  "pack." 

Friday,  July  3.  At  midnight  the  engine  was  stopped,  the 
ice  being  too  thick  for  the  "  Kite  "  to  make  any  headway. 
At  6.30  A.  M.  we  started  again,  and  rammed  our  way  along 
for  an  hour,  but  were  again  forced  to  stop.  At  eleven  o'clock 
we  tried  it  once  more,  but  after  a  couple  of  hours  came  to  a 
standstill.  We  remained  in  this  condition  until  after  five 
o'clock,  when  the  engine  was  again  started.  For  two  hours 
we  made  fairly  good  progress,  and  we  thought  that  we  should 
soon  be  in  open  water,  but  a  small  neck  of  very  heavy  ice 
stopped  us.  While  we  were  on  deck,  the  mate  in  the  "crow's- 
nest,"  which  was  hoisted  to-day,  sang  out,  "A  bear!  A  bear!" 
Off  in  the  distance  we  could  see  an  object  floating,  or  rather 


IN   THE   MELVILLE    BAY    PACK 


swimming,  in  the  water,  and  in  a  minute  the  boys  were  climb- 
ing helter-skelter  over  the  sides  of  the  "  Kite,"  all  with  guns, 
although  some  soon  discovered  that  theirs  were  not  loaded ; 
but  the  bear  turned  out  to  be  a  seal,  and 
not  one  of  about  thirty  shots  hit  him. 
It  is  now  nearly  1 1  P.  M.  The  sun  is 
shining  beautifully,  and  it  is  perfectly 
calm.  I  have  worn  only  a  gray  spring 
jacket,  which  I  have  found  sufficient  for 
the  balmy  temperature.  At  midnight 
the  cannon  was  fired,  the  flags  were 
run  up  and  dipped,  and  the  boys  fired 
their  rifles  and  gave  three  cheers  for 
the  Fourth  of  July.  The  thermometer 
marked  31°. 

Saturday,  July  4.  The  ice  remains 
stubborn,  and  we  are  fast  bound.  All 
around  the  eye  sees  nothing  but  the 
immovable  pack,  here  smooth  as  a  table, 
at  other  places  tossed  up  into  long  hum- 
mock-ridges which  define  the  individual 
ice-cakes.  Occasional  lanes  of  water 
appear  and  disappear,  and  their  presence  gives  us  the  one 
hope  of  an  early  disentanglement.  The  event  of  the  day  has 
been  a  dinner  to  Captain  Pike,  in  which  most  of  the  members 
of  our  party  participated.  After  dinner  hunting-parties  scoured 
the  ice  after  seals,  with  the  result  of  bringing  in  two  speci- 


;  A  Bear  !    A  Bear !  " 


2O  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

mens,  one  weighing  twenty-six  pounds,  and  the  other  thirty- 
three  pounds. 

Sunday,  July  5.  All  night  we  steamed  along  slowly,  but  at 
8  A.  M.  we  were  forced  once  more  to  stop.  The  day  has  been 
very  disagreeable,  foggy,  rainy,  and  even  snowy.  We  have 
done  nothing  but  eat  and  sleep.  A  lazily  hovering  ivory- 
gull,  which  ventured  within  near  gunshot,  has  been  added  to 
our  collections. 

Tuesday,  July  7.  The  weather  yesterday  was  dreary  and 
disagreeable,  but  to-day  it  seems  warmer.  The  snow  has 
ceased  falling,  although  the  sky  is  still  overcast,  and  the  fog 
prevents  us  from  seeing  the  horizon.  At  noon  the  sun  came 
through  the  clouds  for  a  few  moments,  and  the  fog  lifted 
sufficiently  for  the  captain  to  make  an  observation  and  find 
that  our  position  was  latitude  74°  51'.  During  the  afternoon 
the  wind  died  down,  and  an  attempt  was  made  to  get  through 
the  ice ;  but  after  boring  and  ramming  the  immovable  pack 
for  nearly  an  hour,  and  gaining  only  a  ship's  length,  we  con- 
cluded that  we  were  burning  coal  for  nothing.  Mr.  Peary, 
with  Gibson,  Astrup,  Cook,  and  Matt,  has  been  busy  all  the 
afternoon  sawing,  marking,  and  fitting  the  lumber  for  our 
Whale  Sound  cottage.  The  curing  of  a  large  number  of 
drake-skins,  intended  to  be  made  up  into  undershirts  for 
winter  wear,  was  a  part  of  the  day's  work. 

Thursday,  July  9.  Yesterday  and  to-day  the  fog  lifted 
sufficiently  at  times  to  permit  us  to  see  the  land,  about  forty 
miles  distant.  A  good  observation  places  us  in  latitude  74° 


IN   THE    MELVILLE    BAY    PACK 


21 


51',  and  longitude  about  60°  W.     Mr.  Peary  fixed  the  points 
with  his  pocket  sextant  and  the  ship's  compass,  and  then  made 
a  sketch  of  the  headlands.     The  ice  looks  rotten,  but  yet  it 
holds  together  too  firmly  to  permit   us  to   force   a   passage. 
We    measured    some    of    the 
floes,  and   found   the  thickest 
to  be  two  and  a  half  feet.     It 
has  seemed  very  raw  to-day, 
owing  largely  to  a  slight  north- 
west wind ;    and  for  the  first 
time  the  average  temperature 
has  been  below  the  freezing- 
point,  being  31^°  F. 

Friday,  July  I O.    This  morn- 
ing the   rigging   was   covered 
with    hoar-frost,    making    the 
"Kite"  look  like  a  "phantom 
ship."     The  fog  hung  heavily 
about  us,  shutting 
out  the  land  com- 
pletely.       In   the 
forenoon  a  sound-     ^_ 

ing  was  made,  but  Sailing  Through  the  Pack. 

no  bottom  was  found  at  343  fathoms.  While  we  were  at  din- 
ner, without  any  warning  the  "  Kite  "  began  to  move,  steam 
was  immediately  gotten  up,  and  for  an  hour  and  a  half  we  cut 
our  way  through  the  ice,  which  had  become  very  rotten,  large 


22  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

floes  splitting  into  several  pieces  as  soon  as  they  were  struck 
by  the  "Kite."  We  made  about  three  knots,  when  we 
were  again  obliged  to  halt  on  account  of  a  lowering  fog. 
Our  little  move  was  made  just  in  time  to  keep  up  the  cour- 
age of  some  of  the  West  Greenland  party,  who  were  begin- 
ning to  believe  that  we  should  be  nipped  and  kept  here  for 
the  winter. 

Although  we  realized  that  we  were  still  ice-bound  in  the 
great  and  much-dreaded  Melville  Bay  pack,  we  could  not  but 
enjoy  at  times  the  peculiar  features  of  our  forced  imprison- 
ment. Efforts  to  escape,  with  full  promise  of  success,  followed 
by  a  condition  of  impotency  and  absolute  relaxation,  would 
alternately  elevate  and  depress  our  spirits  to  the  extent  of 
casting  joy  and  gloom  into  the  little  household.  The  novelty 
of  the  situation,  however,  helped  greatly  to  keep  up  a  good 
feeling,  and  all  despondency  was  immediately  dispelled  by  the 
sound  of  the  order  to  "  fire  up,"  and  the  dull  rumbling  of  the 
bell-metal  propeller.  We  never  tired  of  watching  our  little 
craft  cut  her  way  through  the  unbroken  pans  of  ice.  The 
great  masses  of  ice  were  thrust  aside  very  readily ;  sometimes 
a  piece  was  split  from  a  large  floe  and  wedged  under  a  still 
larger  one,  pushing  this  out  of  the  way,  the  commotion  caus- 
ing the  ice  in  the  immediate  vicinity  fairly  to  boil.  Then  we 
would  run  against  an  unusually  hard,  solid  floe  that  would  not 
move  when  the  "  Kite  "  struck  it,  but  let  her  ride  right  up  on 
it  and  then  allow  her  gradually  to  slide  off  and  along  the  edge 
until  she  struck  a  weak  place,  when  the  floe  would  be  shivered 


IN   THE    MELVILLE    BAY    PACK  23 

just  as  a  sheet  of  glass  is  shivered  when  struck  a  sharp,  hard 
blow.  The  pieces  were  hurled  against  and  on  top  of  other 
pieces,  crashing  and  splashing  about  until  it  seemed  as  though 
the  ice  must  be  as  thick  again  as  it  was  before  the  break-up ; 
but  the  good  old  "  Kite  "  pushed  them  aside,  leaving  them  in 
the  distance  groaning  and  creaking  at  having  been  disturbed. 
The  day  has  been  pleasant,  in  spite  of  an  average  tempera- 
ture of  27 1/2  °. 

Tuesday,  July  14.  How  different  everything  looks  to  us 
since  I  last  wrote  in  this  journal !  Saturday  the  weather  was, 
as  usual,  cold  and  foggy;  and  when,  at  5.30  P.  M.,  we  found 
ourselves  suddenly  moving,  every  one  was  elated,  hoping  we 
would  be  able  to  get  into  the  clear  water  ahead,  which  the 
mate  said  could  be  seen  from  the  crow's-nest.  Mr.  Peary  was 
particularly  pleased,  as  he  said  we  should  then  reach  Whale 
Sound  by  July  15,  the  limit  he  had  set  for  getting  there. 
After  supper  he  and  I  bundled  up  and  went  on  deck,  and 
watched  the  "  Kite  "  cut  through  the  rotten  ice  like  butter. 
We  had  been  on  the  bridge  for  some  time,  when  Mr.  Peary 
left  me  to  warm  his  feet  in  the  cabin.  Coming  on  deck  again, 
he  stepped  for  a  moment  behind  the  wheel-house,  and  im- 
mediately after,  I  saw  the  wheel  torn  from  the  grasp  of  the  two 
helmsmen,  whirling  around  so  rapidly  that  the  spokes  could 
not  be  seen.  One  of  the  men  was  thrown  completely  over 
it,  but  on  recovering  himself  he  stepped  quickly  behind  the 
house,  and  I  instantly  realized  that  something  must  have  hap- 
pened to  my  husband.  How  I  got  to  him  I  do  not  know,  but 


24  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

I  reached  him  before  any  one  else,  and  found  him  standing  on 
one  foot  looking  pale  as  death.  "  Don't  be  frightened,  dear- 
est; I  have  hurt  my  leg,"  was  all  he  said.  Mr.  Gibson  and 
Dr.  Sharp  helped,  or  rather  carried,  him  down  into  the  cabin 
and  laid  him  on  the  table.  He  was  ice-cold,  and  while  I 
covered  him  with  blankets,  our  physicians  gave  him  whisky, 
cut  off  his  boot,  and  cut  open  his  trousers.  They  found  that 
both  bones  of  the  right  leg  had  been  fractured  between  the 
knee  and  the  ankle.  The  leg  was  put  into  a  box  and  padded 
with  cotton.  The  fracture  being  what  the  doctors  pronounced 
a  "  good  one,"  it  was  not  necessary  to  have  the  bones  pulled 
into  place.  Poor  Bert  suffered  agonies  in  spite  of  the  fact  that 
the  doctors  handled  him  as  tenderly  as  they  could.  We  found 
it  impossible  to  get  him  into  our  state-room,  so  a  bed  was 
improvised  across  the  upper  end  of  the  cabin,  and  there  my 
poor  sufferer  lies.  He  is  as  good  and  patient  as  it  is  possible 
to  be  under  the  circumstances.  The  accident  happened  in 
this  way.  The  "  Kite "  had  been  for  some  time  pounding, 
or,  as  the  whalers  say,  "  butting,"  a  passage  through  the  ice, 
slowly  but  steadily  forging  a  way  through  the  spongy  sheets 
which  had  already  for  upward  of  a  week  imprisoned  her. 
To  gain  strength  for  every  assault  it  was  necessary  constantly 
to  reverse,  and  it  was  during  one  of  these  evolutions,  when 
going  astern,  that  a  detached  cake  of  ice  struck  the  rudder, 
crowding  the  iron  tiller  against  the  wheel-house  where  Mr. 
Peary  was  standing,  and  against  his  leg,  which  it  held  pinned 
long  enough  for  him  to  hear  it  snap. 


IN   THE    MELVILLE    BAY    PACK  25 

Wednesday,  July  15.  Mr.  Peary  passed  a  fairly  comfortable 
night,  and  had  a  good  sleep  without  morphine  to-day,  conse- 
quently he  feels  better.  As  for  myself,  I  could  not  keep  up 
any  longer,  and  at  1 1  A.  M.,  after  Dr.  Cook  had  dressed  the 
leg  and  made  an  additional  splint,  I  lay  down,  and  neither 
moved  nor  heard  a  sound  until  after  five  o'clock.  This  was 
the  first  sleep  I  have  had  since  Friday  night.  Dr.  Cook,  who 
has  been  more  than  attentive,  has  made  a  pair  of  crutches  for 
the  poor  sufferer,  but  he  will  not  be  able  to  use  them  for  a 
month. 

We  find  to-day  that  our  latitude  is  75°  i',  and  our  longi- 
tude 60°  9'  ;  consequently  our  headway  has  been  very  slow. 
It  seems  as  if  when  the  ice  is  loose  the  fog  is  too  thick  for  us 
to  travel  in  safety,  and  when  the  fog  lifts  the  ice  closes  in 
around  us.  Once  to-day  the  ice  suddenly  opened  and  a  crack 
which  visibly  widened  allowed  us  to  make  nearly  four  miles 
in  one  stretch.  Throughout  much  of  the  night  and  day  we 
steamed  back  and  forth  and  hither  and  thither,  trying  to  get 
through  or  around  the  ice,  and  to  prevent  the  "  Kite  "  from 
getting  nipped  between  two  floes.  A  little  after  supper  the 
fog  suddenly  closed  in  upon  us,  and  before  we  could  com- 
plete the  passage  of  a  narrow  and  tortuous  lead,  through 
which  we  were  seeking  escape  from  the  advancing  floes  in  our 
rear,  we  were  caught  fast  between  two  large  pans.  The  ice 
was  only  about  fourteen  inches  thick,  and  there  was  but  little 
danger  of  the  "  Kite  "  being  crushed.;  still,  Captain  Pike,  with 
the  memories  of  former  disasters  fresh  in  his  mind,  did  not 


26  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

relish  the  situation,  and  blasted  our  way  out  with  gunpowder 
at  8.15  P.  M.     This  is  our  first  "nip." 

An  hour  later  the  captain  called  down  to  me  to  come  up  at 
once,  as  a  bear  was  advancing  toward  the  ship.  The  boys  had 
been  watching  and  longing  for  a  bear  ever  since  we  left  New- 
York,  and  many  false  alarms  had  been  given ;  but  here  was  a 
real  live  polar  coming  straight  for  the  "  Kite."  A  very,  very 
pretty  sight  he  was,  with  black  snout,  black  eyes,  and  black- 
toes.  Against  the  white  snow  and  ice,  he  seemed  to  be  of  a 
cream  color.  His  head  was  thrown  up  as  he  loped  along  to- 
ward us,  and  when,  within  a  short  distance  of  the  "  Kite,"  a 
gull  flew  over  his  head,  he  made  a  playful  jump  at  it,  all  un- 
conscious of  the  doom  which  awaited  him.  Eleven  men  with 
guns  were  stooping  down  on  the  quarter-deck  waiting  for  the 
captain  to  give  the  word  to  fire.  A  bullet  disabled  one  of  the 
fore  legs,  while  another  struck  the  animal  in  the  head,  instantly 

dyeing  it  crimson ; 
the  bear  stopped  short, 
wheeled  round,  fell 
over  on  his  head,  and 
then  got  up.  By  this 
.  time  it  was  simply  rain- 
Bruin  at  Rest.  ing  bullets  about  the 
poor  beast ;  still  he  staggered  on  toward  the  water.  Gib- 
son, who  had  jumped  on  the  ice  as  soon  as  he  fired,  was 
now  close  to  him,  and,  just  as  he  started  to  swim  away,  put 
a  ball  in  his  neck,  which  stopped  him  short.  A  boat  was  low- 


IN   THE    MELVILLE    BAY   PACK  2J 

ered,  and  he  was  brought  alongside  the  "Kite."  He  measured 
seven  feet  one  inch  in  length,  and  we  estimated  his  weight  at 
from  eight  to  ten  hundred  pounds. 

Friday,  July  17.  Last  night  was  the  worst  night  my  poor 
husband  has  had.  His  leg  pained  him  more  than  it  had  done 
so  far,  and  he  begged  me  to  give  him  a  sedative,  which,  with 
the  doctor's  consent,  I  did ;  but  even  then  his  sleep  was  dis- 
turbed to  such  an  extent  that  it  amounted  to  delirium.  He 
would  plead  with  me  to  do  something  for  his  leg.  After  doing 
everything  I  could  think  of,  I  said,  "  Can't  you  tell  me  where 
it  hurts  you  most,  and  what  you  think  might  help  you?" 
His  answer  was,  "  Oh,  my  dear,  pack  it  in  ice  until  some  one 
can  shoot  it !  "  In  this  way  he  spent  the  night,  and  this  morn- 
ing he  was  thoroughly  exhausted.  Dr.  Cook  has  succeeded 
in  making  his  leg  more  comfortable,  and  now  he  sleeps.  It 
seems  very  hard  that  I  cannot  take  him  away  to  some  place 
where  he  can  rest  in  peace. 

Tuesday,  July  21.  Since  last  writing  in  my  journal,  four 
days  ago,  we  have  been  steadily  nearing  Cape  York,  and  we 
hope  soon  to  clear  the  ice  of  Melville  Bay,  and  pass  into 
the  open  North  Water  beyond.  Our  hopes  have,  however, 
so  often  been  disappointed  that  day  by  day,  even  when  in  full 
view  of  the  land,  we  become  less  and  less  confident  of  ever 
being  able  to  disengage  ourselves  from  our  confinement. 
Huge  grounded  bergs  still  hold  the  ice  together,  and  until 
they  show  signs  of  moving  there  is  little  prospect  of  a  general 
break-up. 


28  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

On  Saturday  a  bear  with  two  cubs  was'  seen  on  the  ice 
ahead  of  us,  and  immediately  every  man  was  over  the  side  of 
the  vessel  making  for  the  animals.  The  mother,  with  a  tender 
affection  for  her  young,  guided  an  immediate  retreat,  herself 
taking  the  rear,  and  alternately  inciting  the  one  cub  and 
then  the  other  to  more  rapid  movement.  Our  boys  were 
wholly  unacquainted  with  the  art  of  rapid  traveling  on  the 
rough  and  hummocky  ice,  and  before  long  the  race  was  ad- 
mitted to  be  a  very  unequal  one ;  they  were  all  quickly 
distanced.  One  of  the  men,  in  the  excitement  of  the  moment, 
joined  in  the  chase  without  his  gun,  and,  even  without  this 
implement,  when  he  returned  to  the  "  Kite  "  he  was  so  out  of 
breath  that  he  had  to  be  hauled  up  the  sides  of  the  vessel  like 
a  dead  seal.  He  lay  sprawling  and  breathless  on  the  deck 
for  at  least  five  minutes,  much  to  the  merriment  of  the  crew 
and  the  more  fortunate  members  of  the  party.  A  round 
weight  of  over  two  hundred  pounds  was  responsible  for  his 
discomfiture.  Monday  morning  about  two  o'clock  the  fog 
suddenly  lifted,  and  we  found  ourselves  almost  upon  the  land. 
The  visible  shore  extended  from  Cape  York  to  Wolstenholme 
Island,  and  we  could  clearly  distinguish  Capes  Dudley  Diggs 
and  Atholl.  I  held  a  looking-glass  over  the  open  skylight  in 
such  a  way  that  Mr.  Peary  could  see  something  of  the  outline 
of  the  coast.  Poor  fellow!  he  wanted  to  go  on  deck  so  badly, 
thinking  that  if  he  were  strapped  to  a  board  he  could  be 
moved  in  safety,  but  the  doctor  persuaded  him  to  give  up  the 
thought.  As  the  doctors  have  all  agreed  that  in  six  months 


IN   THE    MELVILLE    BAY    PACK  29 

his  leg  will  be  as  good  as  it  ever  was,  he  refuses  to  consider 
the  idea  of  returning  on  the  "Kite";  as  for  myself,  now 
that  we  have  started,  I  want  to  keep  on  too.  The  air  is 
almost  black  with  flocks  of  the  little  auk,  and  a  party  on  the 
ice  to-day  brought  in  sixteen  birds  in  a  very  short  time. 

Wednesday,  July  22.  Drs.  Hughes  and  Sharp  brought  in 
sixty-four  birds  as  the  result  of  an  all-night  catch.  We  are  still 
in  the  ice,  with  no  signs  of  our  getting  out,  although  the  cap- 
tain says  we  have  drifted  twenty  miles  to  the  northward  since 
Monday  morning.  We  are  now  abreast  of  Conical  Rock. 
Second  Mate  Dunphy  has  just  reported  seeing  from  the  crow's- 
nest  a  steamer  off  Cape  York,  but  it  is  not  visible  to  the 
naked  eye,  and  we'are  in  doubt  as  to  what  it  is. 

Friday,  July  24.  The  steamer  did  not  materialize ;  either 
the  mate  was  mistaken  or  the  vessel  drifted  away  from  us. 
The  ice  parted  early  yesterday  morning,  much  to  everybody's 
relief,  and  we  have  since  been  pushing  steadily  on  our  course. 
The  long  line  of  table-topped  bergs  off  Cape  York,  some  of 
which  measured  not  less  than  two  hundred  to  three  hundred  feet 
in  height,  and  perhaps  considerably  over  a  mile  in  length,  is 
visibly  moving  over  to  the  American  waters,  and  to  this  dis- 
rupting force  we  are  doubtless  largely  indebted  for  our  libera- 
tion. The  scenery  of  this  portion  of  the  Greenland  coast  is 
surpassingly  fine.  The  steep  red-brown  cliffs  are  frequently 
interrupted  by  small  glaciers  reaching  down  to  the  water's 
edge.  The  entrance  to  Wolstenholme  Sound,  guarded  as  it 
was  by  huge  bergs,  was  particularly  beautiful.  Saunders 


3O  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Island  in  the  distance,  and  Dalrymple  Rock  immediately  in 
the  foreground,  stood  up  like  great  black  giants,  contrasting 
with  the  snow-white  bergs  surrounding  them  and  the  red  cliffs 
of  the  mainland  on  either  side.  Whenever  anything  particu- 
larly striking  or  beautiful  appears,  I  am  called  on  deck,  and 
with  my  hand-glass  placed  at  the  open  transom  over  Mr. 
Peary's  head,  manage  to  give  him  a  faint  glimpse  of  our  sur- 
roundings. At  nine  o'clock  this  evening  we  rounded  Cape 
Parry,  and  about  ten  o'clock  stopped  at  the  little  Eskimo 
village  of  Netchiolumy  in  Barden  Bay,  where  we  hoped  to 
obtain  a  native  house,  sledge,  kayak,  and  various  native 
utensils  and  implements  for  the  World's  Columbian  Expo- 
sition. Our  search-party  found  only  three  houses  in  the 
settlement,  and  the  lonely  inhabitants  numbered  six  adults 
and  five  children  ;  five  dogs  added  life  to  the  solitude.  These 
people  had  quantities  of  sealskins  and  narwhal  tusks,  many  of 
which  were  obtained  in  exchange  for  knives,  saws,  files,  and 
tools  in  general.  Wood  of  any  kind,  to  be  used  in  the  con- 
struction of  sledges,  kayak  frames,  and  spear-  and  harpoon- 
shafts,  was  especially  in  demand  ;  they  cared  nothing  for  our 
woven  clothing,  nor  for  articles  of  simple  show  and  finery. 
We  stopped  this  morning  at  Herbert  Island,  where  we  had 
hoped  to  visit  a  native  graveyard,  but  no  graves  were  found. 


CHAPTER   III 

ESTABLISHING    OURSELVES 

Arrival  at  McCormick  Bay  —  Selecting  the  Site  for  the  House  —  Temporary 
Quarters  —  Hurrying  the  Erection  of  the  House  —  White  Whales  —  Departure 
of  the  "  Kite  " —  Alone  on  the  Arctic  Shore  —  A  Summer  Storm  —  Arctic  Pic- 
nicking—  The  First  Birthday  and  the  First  Deer — Birthday-dinner  Menu  — 
Departure  of  the  Boat  Party  for  Hakluyt  and  Northumberland  Islands  after 
Birds  and  Eskimos  —  Occupations  during  their  Absence  —  Return  of  the  Party 
with  an  Eskimo  Family. 

Sunday,  July  26.  Mr.  Peary  is  getting  along  nicely.  His 
nights  are  fairly  comfortable,  and  consequently  he  feels  much 
better  by  day ;  his  back  now  troubles  him  more  than  his  leg. 
Yesterday  morning  at  three  o'clock  he  was  awakened  and  told 
that  the  ice  prevented  our  getting  to  Cape  Acland,  and  that 
we  were  just  abreast  of  McCormick  Bay,  and  could  not  pro- 
ceed further  into  the  sound.  He  accordingly  decided  to  put 
up  our  quarters  on  the  shores  of  this  bay.  It  was  now  a  ques- 
tion as  to  which  side  of  the  bay  would  be  most  favorable  for  a 
home.  At  9  A.  M.,  together  with  several  members  of  our  party, 
I  rowed  over  to  the  southeast  shore,  and  walked  along  the 
coast  for  about  three  miles,  prospecting  for  a  site,  and  made 
a  provisional  choice  of  what  seemed  a  desirable  knoll.  We 
returned  to  the  "  Kite  "  about  noon.  After  dinner  Professor 
Heilprin,  Dr.  Cook,  Astrup,  and  three  others  went  over  to 


32  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

the  other  shore,  and  toward  evening  they  returned  with  the 
report  that  the  place  was  perfectly  desolate  and  not  at  all 
suitable  for  a  camp.  After  supper  we  returned  to  the  southeast 
shore  to  see  if  we  could  improve  on  the  location  selected  in  the 
morning,  but  after  tramping  for  miles  came  back  to  the  old  site. 
While  it  cannot  in  truth  be  said  that  the  spot  is  a  specially 
attractive  one,  it  would  be  equally  untrue  to  describe  it  as 
being  entirely  devoid  of  charm  or  attraction.  Flowers  bloom 
in  abundance  on  all  sides,  and  their  varied  colors, — white, 
pink,  and  yellow, — scattered  through  a  somewhat  somber 
base  of  green,  picture  a  carpet  of  almost  surpassing  beauty. 
Rugged  cliffs  of  sandstone,  some  sixteen  hundred  to  eighteen 
hundred  feet  high,  in  which  the  volcanic  forces  have  built  up 
long  black  walls  of  basalt,  rise  steeply  behind  us,  and  over 
their  tops  the  eternal  ice-cap  is  plainly  visible.  Only  a  few 
paces  from  the  base  of  the  knoll  are  the  silent  and  still  par- 
tially ice-covered  waters  of  the  bay,  which  extends  five  miles 
or  more  over  to  the  opposite  shore,  and  perhaps  three  times 
that  distance  eastward  to  its  termination.  A  number  of 
lazy  icebergs  still  stand  guard  between  us  and  the  open 
waters  of  the  western  horizon,  where  the  gray  and  ice- 
flecked  bluffs  of  Northumberland  and  Hakluyt  Islands  dis- 
appear from  sight. 

This  morning  the  members  of  our  party  went  ashore  with 
pickaxes  and  shovels,  and  they  are  now  digging  the  founda- 
tions of  our  "cottage  by  the  sea."  They  are  also  putting  up 
a  tent  for  our  disabled  commander,  whence  he  can  super- 


•- 


ESTABLISHING    OURSELVES 


33 


intend  the  erection  of  the  structure.  The  men  are  working  in 
their  undershirts  and  trousers,  and  it  is  quite  warm  enough  for 
me  to  stay  on  deck  without  a  wrap,  even  when  I  am  not  exer- 
cising; yet,  if  we  had  this  temperature  at  home,  we  should  con- 
sider it  decidedly  cool.  I  have  had  oil-stoves  taken  ashore  for 
the  purpose  of  heating  the  tent  in  case  it  becomes  necessary. 
Wednesday,  July  29.  The  last  three  days  have  been  busy 
ones  for  me,  being  obliged  to  attend  to  all  the  packing  and 


unpacking    myself,     be- 
sides   waiting     on     Mr. 
Peary.      Monday,     after 
Our  "Cottage  by  the  Sea."  dinner,  the  boys  finished 

digging  the  foundations.  Mr.  Peary  was  then  strapped  to  a 
board,  and  four  men  carried  him  from  the  "  Kite  "  into  a  boat. 
After  crossing  the  bay  he  was  carried  up  to  the  tent  just 
back  of  where  the  house  is  being  erected,  and  placed  on 
a  rough  couch.  He  is  near  enough  to  superintend  the  work, 
and  everything  is  progressing  favorably. 

Last  night  was  a  queer  one  for  me.     All  the  boys  slept  on 
board  the  "  Kite,"  leaving  me  entirely  alone  with  my  crippled 


34  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

husband  in  the  little  shelter-tent  on  the  south  shore  of 
McCormick  Bay.  I  had  forgotten  to  have  my  rifle  brought 
ashore,  and  I  could  not  help  thinking  what  would  be  the  best 
thing  for  me  to  do  in  case  an  unwelcome  visitor  in  the  shape 
of  a  bear  should  take  it  into  his  head  to  poke  his  nose  into 
the  tent.  While  I  was  lying  awake,  imagining  all  sorts  of 
things,  I  heard  most  peculiar  grunts  and  snorts  coming  from 
the  direction  of  the  beach,  and  on  looking  out  saw  a  school  of 
white  whale  playing  in  the  water  just  in  front  of  our  tent. 
They  seemed  to  be  playing  tag,  chasing  each  other  and  diving 
and  splashing  just  like  children  in  the  water.  I  was  surprised 
at  their  graceful  movements  as  they  glided  along,  almost 
coming  up  on  the  beach  at  times.  The  night  passed  unevent- 
fully, but  I  decided  to  have  Matt  sleep  on  shore  to-night, 
should  the  others  go  on  board  the  "  Kite  "  again.  In  case  of 
a  sudden  wind-storm  I  could  not  steady  the  tent  alone,  and 
some  one  ought  to  be  within  calling  distance. 

As  the  members  of  the  returning  party  come  to  bid  us 
good-by  it  makes  me  feel  very,  very  homesick;  but  a  year 
will  soon  pass,  and  then  we  too  shall  return  home.  The  pro- 
fessor has  kindly  offered  to  see  mama,  and  do  for  her  what 
he  can  in  the  way  of  keeping  her  posted. 

Early  Thursday  morning,  July  30,  those  of  our  party  who 
had  slept  aboard  ship — that  is,  all  except  Mr.  Peary,  Matt,  and 
myself — were  aroused  and  told  they  must  "  pull  for  the 
shore,"  as  the  "  Kite  "  was  going  to  turn  her  nose  toward 


ESTABLISHING   OURSELVES  35 

home.  Not  being  accustomed  to  the  duties  of  housekeeper 
and  nurse,  I  was  so  completely  tired  out  that  I  slept  soundly 
and  knew  nothing  of  the  cheers  and  farewell  salutes  which 
passed  between  the  little  party  who  were  to  remain  in  the  far 
North,  and  those  on  board  the  "  Kite,"  who  would  bring  our 
friends  the  only  tidings  of  us  until  our  return  in  '92.  Mr. 
Peary  remarked  on  the  cheerfulness  of  our  men.  Less  than 
five  minutes  after  the  boat  grated  on  the  beach  he  heard  the 
sound  of  the  hammer  and  the  whistling  of  the  boys. 

Three  or  four  hours  after  the  "  Kite  "  left  McCormick  Bay 
a  furious  wind  and  rain  storm  swept  down  upon  us  from  the 
cliffs  back  of  our  house.  The  boys  continued  the  work  on 
the  roof  as  long  as  possible,  hoping  to  be  able  to  get  the 
whole  house  under  cover,  but  the  fury  of  the  storm  was  such 
as  to  make  it  impossible  for  them  to  keep  their  foothold  on 
the  rafters,  and  they  were  obliged  to  seek  shelter  under  what 
there  was  of  the  roof.  At  meal-time  they  all  crowded  in  our 
little  7  x  10  canvas  tent,  sitting  on  boxes  and  buckets,  and 
holding  their  mess-pans  in  their  laps.  These  I  supplied  with 
baked  beans,  stewed  corn,  stewed  tomatoes,  and  corned  beef, 
from  the  respective  pots  in  which  they  had  been  prepared. 
The  rain  dashed  against  the  tent,  and  the  wind  rocked  it  to 
and  fro.  Every  little  while  one  of  the  guy-ropes  would  snap 
with  a  sound  like  the  report  of  a  pistol,  and  one  of  the  boys 
would  have  to  put  his  dinner  on  the  ground  and  go  out 
into  the  storm  and  refasten  it,  for  these  ropes  were  all  that 
kept  our  little  tent  from  collapsing.  The  meal  completed, 


36  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

the  boys  returned  to  the  house,  where  they  had  more  room, 
even  if  they  were  not  more  comfortable. 

I  never  shall  forget  this  wretched  night  following  the  de- 
parture of  the  "Kite."  The  stream  which  rushed  down  the 
sides  of  the  cliffs  divided  just  back  of  the  tent,  and  one  arm 
of  it  went  round  while  the  other  came  through  our  little 
shelter.  The  water  came  with  such  force  that  in  a  few 
moments  it  had  made  a  furrow  down  the  middle  of  the  tent 
floor  several  inches  deep  and  nearly  the  entire  width  of  the 
floor  space,  through  which  it  rushed  and  roared.  All  night 
long  I  was  perched  tailor-fashion  on  some  boxes,  expecting 
every  moment  to  see  the  tent  torn  from  its  fastenings  and  the 
disabled  man  lying  by  my  side  exposed  to  the  fury  of  the 
storm.  Our  only  comfort,  and  one  for  which  we  were  duly 
thankful,  was  that  during  this  "  night "  of  storm  we  had  con- 
stant daylight;  in  other  words,  it  was  just  as  light  at  two 
o'clock  in  the  morning  as  it  was  at  two  o'clock  in  the  after- 
noon. When  it  was  time  for  breakfast,  I  lighted  the  oil-stove, 
which  I  had  fished  out  of  the  water  just  as  it  was  about  to 
float  away,  and  made  some  coffee,  and  we  breakfasted  on 
coffee,  biscuit,  and  corned  beef. 

This  state  of  affairs  continued  until  the  afternoon,  when 
the  storm  finally  abated  and  the  boys  began  work  again  on 
the  roof.  The  water  in  the  tent  subsided,  and  by  putting 
pieces  of  plank  down  I  could  again  move  about  without  sink- 
ing into  the  mud,  and  I  at  once  set  to  work  to  get  the  boys  a 
square  meal. 


ESTABLISHING   OURSELVES  37 

By  Saturday  morning  our  habitation  was  under  cover,  the 
stove  put  up  temporarily,  with  the  stovepipe  through  one  of 
the  spaces  left  for  a  window,  and  a  fire  made  from  the  blocks 
and  shavings  that  had  escaped  the  flood.  The  house  was 
soon  comparatively  dry, —  at  least  it  did  not  seem  damp  when 
compared  with  the  interior  of  the  tent, — and  Mr.  Peary  was 
carried  in  and  placed  on  a  bed  composed  of  boxes  of  pro- 
visions covered  with  blankets.  Although  we  had  no  doors  or 
windows  in  place,  we  felt  that  it  might  rain  and  storm  as 
much  as  it  pleased,  and  it  would  not  interfere  with  finishing  up 
the  house  and  getting  the  meals,  two  very  important  items 
for  us  just  then. 

Gradually  our  home  began  to  have  a  finished  appearance : 
the  inside  sheathing  was  put  on,  and  the  doors  and  windows 
put  in  place.  We  had  no  more  violent  wind-storms,  but  it 
rained  every  day  for  over  a  week.  At  last,  on  August  8, 
there  was  no  rain ;  and,  as  it  was  Matt's  birthday,  Mr.  Peary 
told  the  boys  after  lunch  to  take  their  rifles  and  bring  in  a 
deer.  One  of  the  rules  of  our  Arctic  home  was  that  each 
member's  birthday  should  be  celebrated  by  such  a  dinner  as 
he  might  choose  from  our  stock  of  provisions.  Before  going 
out  Matt  chose  his  menu,  which  I  was  to  prepare  while  the 
hunters  were  gone.  The  plum-duff,  however,  he  mixed  him- 
self, as  he  had  taken  lessons  from  the  cook  on  board  the 
"  Kite."  After  every  one  had  gone,  Mr.  Peary  surprised  me 
by  saying  he  intended  to  get  up  and  come  into  the  room 
where  I  was  preparing  the  dinner.  Only  the  day  before  the 


38  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

doctor  had  taken  his  leg  out  of  the  box  and  put  it  in  splints, 
and  he  had  been  able  for  the  first  time  since  July  1 1  to  turn 
on  his  side.  I  tried  to  persuade  him  to  lie  still  for  another 
day,  but  when  I  saw  that  he  had  set  his  heart  on  making  the 
effort,  I  bandaged  up  the  limb  and  helped  him  to  dress. 
Then  I  brought  him  the  crutches  which  Dr.  Cook  had  made 
while  we  were  still  on  board  the  ship,  and  with  their  aid  he 
came  slowly  into  the  other  room.  Here,  through  the  open 
door,  he  could  watch  the  waves  as  they  rose  and  fell  on  the 
beach  about  one  hundred  yards  distant,  while  I  prepared  the 
"feast."  The  bill  of  fare  that  Matt  selected  was  as  follows: 

Mock-turtle  soup. 
Stew  of  little  auk  with  green  peas. 

Broiled  breasts  of  eider-duck. 

Boston  baked  beans,  corn,  tomatoes. 

Apricot  pie,  plum-duff  with  brandy  sauce. 

Sliced  peaches. 

Coffee. 

With  the  soup  I  served  a  cocktail  made  by  Mr.  Peary  after 
a  recipe  of  his  own,  and  henceforth  known  by  our  little  party 
as  "  Redcliffe  House  cocktail "  ;  with  the  stew,  two  bottles  of 
"  Liebfrauenmilch  "  ;  and  with  the  rest  of  the  dinner,  "  Sau- 
terne."  About  five  o'clock  we  heard  the  shouts  of  the  boys, 
and  on  going  out  I  saw  them  coming  down  the  cliffs  heavily 
laden  with  some  bulky  objects.  I  rushed  in  and  reported  the 
facts  in  the  case  to  Mr.  Peary,  who  immediately  said,  "  They  are 


ESTABLISHING   OURSELVES  39 

bringing  in  a  deer.  Oh,  I  must  get  out !  "  So  out  he  hobbled, 
and  to  the  corner  of  the  house,  where  he  had  a  good  view  of 
the  returning  hunters.  As  soon  as  he  saw  them  he  said,  "Get 
me  my  kodak.  Quick  !  "  and  before  the  boys  had  recovered 
from  their  surprise  at  seeing  Mr.  Peary,  whom  they  had  left 
confined  to  his  bed,  standing  on  three  legs  at  the  corner  of 
the  house,  the  first  hunting-party  sent  out  from  Redcliffe  had 
been  immortalized  by  the  ever-present  camera.  The  boys 
were  jubilant  over  their  success,  and  brought  back  appetites 
that  did  justice  to  the  dinner  which  was  now  nearly  ready. 
At  six  o'clock  we  all  sat  down  at  the  rude  table,  constructed 
by  the  boys  out  of  the  rough  boards  left  from  the  house,  and 
just  large  enough  to  accommodate  our  party  of  seven.  We 
had  not  yet  had  time  to  make  chairs,  so  boxes  were  sub- 
stituted, and  we  managed  very  nicely.  We  had  no  table-cloth, 
and  all  our  dishes  were  of  tin,  yet  a  merrier  party  never  sat 
down  to  a  table  anywhere.  Three  days  afterward  we  repeated 
the  feasting  part  of  the  day,  with  a  variation  in  the  bill  of 
fare,  in  honor  of  the  third  anniversary  of  our  marriage,  and 
this  time  we  sampled  the  venison,  which  we  found  so  de- 
licious that  the  boys  were  more  eager  than  ever  to  lay  in 
a  stock  for  the  winter. 

The  next  day,  August  12,  Mr.  Peary  sent  all  the  boys,  ex- 
cept Matt,  in  one  of  our  whale-boats,  the  "Faith,"  to  search 
Herbert  and  Northumberland  Islands  for  an  Eskimo  settle- 
ment, and  if  possible  to  induce  a  family  to  move  over  and 
settle  down  near  Redcliffe  House.  The  man  could  show  us 


40  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

the  best  hunting-grounds,  and  assist  in  bagging  all  kinds 
of  game,  while  the  woman  could  attend  to  making  our  skin 
boots,  or  kamiks,  and  keeping  them  in  order.  They  were  also 
instructed  to  visit  the  loomeries,  as  the  breeding  places  of  the 
birds  are  called,  and  bring  back  as  many  birds  as  possible. 

During  their  absence  Matt  was  at  work  on  our  protection 
wall  of  stone  and  turf  around  Redcliffe,  and  Mr.  Peary  busied 
himself  as  best  he  could  in  making  observations  for  time, 
taking  photographs,  and  pressing  flowers  and  other  botanical 
specimens  which  I  gathered  for  him.  He  even  ventured  part 
of  the  way  up  the  cliffs  at  the  back  of  the  house,  but  this  was 
slow  and  laborious  work.  The  ground  was  so  soft  that  his 
crutches  would  sink  into  it  sometimes  as  much  as  two  feet. 
The  weather  continued  bright  and  balmy,  and  I  did  not  feel 
the  necessity  of  even  a  light  wrap  while  rambling  over  the 
hills.  What  I  did  long  for  was  an  old-fashioned  sunbonnet 
made  of  some  bright-colored  calico,  and  stiffened  with  strips 
of  pasteboard,  for  the  sun  was  burning  my  face  and  neck  very 
badly.  The  boys  returned  at  the  end  of  a  week,  bringing 
with  them  a  native  man  named  Ikwa ;  his  wife,  Mane ;  and 
two  children,  both  little  girls — Anadore,  aged  two  years  and 
six  months,  and  a  baby  of  six  months,  whom  we  called  Noyah 
(short  for  Nowyahrtlik). 


CHAPTER   IV 

HUNTS   AND    EXPLORATIONS 

Ikwaand  his  Family — Present  of  a  Mirror  —  August  Walrus  Hunt  —  Preparations 
for  Sending  out  the  Depot  Party  —  Departure  for  Head  of  McCormick  Bay  — 
First  Herd  of  Reindeer — Exciting  Experiences  in  Tooktoo  Valley  —  Packing 
the  Things  up  the  Bluffs  —  The  Inland  Ice  Party  Off—  Return  to  Redcliffe  — 
A  Foretaste  of  Winter. 

These  Eskimos  were  the  queerest,  dirtiest-looking  indi- 
viduals I  had  ever  seen.  Clad  entirely  in  furs,  they  reminded 
me  more  of  monkeys  than  of  human  beings.  Ikwa,  the  man, 
was  about  five  feet  two  or  three  inches  in  height,  round  as  a 
dumpling,  with  a  large,  smooth,  fat  face,  in  which  two  little 
black  eyes,  a  flat  nose,  and  a  large  expansive  mouth  were 
almost  lost.  His  coarse  black  hair  was  allowed  to  straggle  in 
tangles  over  his  face,  ears,  and  neck,  to  his  shoulders,  without 
any  attempt  at  arrangement  or  order.  His  body  was  covered 
with  a  garment  made  of  birdskins,  called  by  the  natives 
"  ahtee,"  the  feathers  worn  next  the  body,  and  outside  of  this 
a  garment  made  of  sealskin  with  the  fur  on  the  outside,  called 
"  netcheh."  These  garments,  patterned  exactly  alike,  were 
made  to  fit  to  the  figure,  cut  short  at  the  hips,  and  coming  to 
a  point  back  and  front ;  a  close-fitting  hood  was  sewed  to  the 
neck  of  each  garment,  and  invariably  pulled  over  his  head 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


when  he  was  out  of  doors.  His  legs  were  covered  with  seal- 
skin trousers,  or  "  nanookies,"  reaching  just  below  the  knee, 
where  they  were  met  by  the  tanned  sealskin  boots,  called  by 
the  natives  "kamiks."  We  learned  later  that  sealskin  trousers 

--,  were  worn  only  by 
those  men  who  were 
not  fortunate  enough 
or  able  to  kill  a  bear. 
In  winter  these  men 
wear  dogskin  trousers, 
which  are  as  warm  as 
those  made  of  bear- 
skin, but  not  nearly  so 
stylish.  Winter  and 
summer  the  men  wear 
stockings  reaching  to 
the  knee,  made  of  the 
fur  of  the  Arctic  hare. 
At  first  I  thought 
the  woman's  dress  was 
identical  with  that  of 
the  man,  and  it  puz- 
zled  me  to  tell  one  from 

Mane  and  Anadore.  the     Other  ;     but     in     a 

day  or  two  I  had  made  out  the  many  little  differences  in  the 
costumes.  The  woman,  like  the  man,  wore  the  ahtee  and 
netcheh  made  respectively  of  the  birdskins  and  sealskin. 


HUNTS   AND    EXPLORATIONS  43 

They  differed  in  pattern  from  those  of  the  man  only  in  the 
back,  where  an  extra  width  is  sewed  in,  which  forms  a  pouch 
extending  the  entire  length  of  the  back  of  the  wearer,  and 
fitting  tight  around  the  hips.  In  this  pouch  or  hood  the  baby 
is  carried:  its  little  body,  covered  only  by  a  shirt  reaching  to 
the  waist,  made  of  the  skin  of  a  young  blue  fox,  is  placed 
against  the  bare  back  of  the  mother;  and  the  head,  covered  by 
a  tight-fitting  skull-cap  made  of  sealskin,  is  allowed  to  rest 
against  the  mother's  shoulder.  In  this  way  the  Eskimo  child 
is  carried  constantly,  whether  awake  or  asleep,  and  without 
clothing  except  the  shirt  and  cap,  until  it  can  walk,  which  is 
usually  at  the  age  of  two  years ;  then  it  is  clothed  in  skins, 
exactly  as  the  father  if  it  is  a  boy,  or  like  the  mother  if  a  girl, 
and  allowed  to  toddle  about.  If  it  is  the  youngest  member 
of  the  family,  after  it  has  learned  to  walk  it  still  takes  its  place 
in  the  mother's  hood  whenever  it  is  sleepy  or  tired,  just  as 
American  mothers  pick  up  their  little  toddlers  and  rock  them. 

The  woman's  trousers,  or  nanookies,  are  made  of  foxskin, 
and  are  hardly  anything  more  than  "  trunks  "  ;  these  are  met 
by  the  long-legged  boots,  or  kamiks,  made  of  tanned  sealskin, 
and  the  long  stockings,  or  "  allahsy,"  of  reindeer  fur.  Alto- 
gether this  family  appeared  fully  as  strange  to  us  as  we  did 
to  them.  They  had  never  before  seen  woven  material,  and 
could  not  seem  to  understand  the  texture,  insisting  that  it  was 
the  skin  of  some  animal  in  America. 

They  brought  their  dog,  a  sledge,  a  tent,  a  kayak  (or  canoe), 
and  all  their  housekeeping  utensils  and  articles  of  furniture, 


44  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

which  consisted  of  two  or  three  deerskins,  on  which  the  family 
slept ;  a  stove  made  of  soapstone  and  shaped  like  our  dust-pans, 
in  which  they  burned  seal  fat,  using  dried  moss  as  a  wick ;  and 
a  dish  or  pot  made  of  the  same  material,  which  they  hung 
over  their  stove,  and  in  which  they  melted  the  ice  for  drinking 
purposes  and  also  heated  their  seal  and  walrus  meat  (I  say 
heated,  for  we  would  hardly  call  it  cooked  when  they  take  it 
out  of  the  water).  The  skin  tent  put  up,  and  these  articles 
put  in  place,  the  house  was  considered  furnished  and  ready 
for  occupancy.  Wood  being  almost  impossible  to  procure,  the 
tent  was  put  up  with  narwhal  tusks,  which  are  more  plentiful 
and  answer  the  purpose.  The  tent  itself  is  made  of  sealskin 
tanned  and  sewed  together  with  narwhal  sinews.  These  peo- 
ple were  very  curious  to  see  the  white  woman,  who,  they  were 
given  to  understand,  was  in  the  American  "  igloo  "  (house) ; 
and  when  Mr.  Peary  and  I  came  out,  they  looked  at  both  of 
us,  and  then  Ikwa  asked,  "  Soonah  koonah  ?  "  Of  course  we 
did  not  know  then  what  he  wanted,  but  he  soon  made  us 
understand  that  he  wished  to  know  which  one  of  the  two  was 
the  woman.  I  delighted  him,  and  won  his  lasting  favor,  by 
making  him  a  present  of  a  knife.  His  wife,  Mane,  was  almost 
overwhelmed  by  a  gift  of  some  needles ;  while  Anadore,  the 
elder  of  the  two  children,  amused  herself  by  making  faces  at 
her  image  in  a  small  mirror  that  I  had  presented  to  her.  It 
was  the  first  time  these  people  had  seen  themselves,  and  the 
parents  were  as  much  amused  as  the  children.  They  asked 
many  questions,  but  as  we  could  not  understand  them  any 


HUNTS   AND    EXPLORATIONS 


45 


more  than  they  knew  what  we  were  talking  about,  the  whole 
conversation  was  decidedly  more    amusing    than    instructive. 
Later  in  the  day  the  boys  launched  the  whale-boat,  and  Mr. 
Peary,  Gibson,  Verhoeff,  Matt,  and  myself,  with  our  new  man 
Ikwa,  went  down   to   Cape   Cleveland,  two  and  a  half  miles 
from  Redcliffe,  where  the  boys  had  beached  a  walrus  killed  by 
them  while  crossing  Murchison  Sound.      It  was  very  interest- 
ing to  watch  Ikwa  cut 
up  this  enormous  ani- 
mal,    weighing      more 
than  1 500  pounds,  with 
an      ordinary     six-inch 
pocket-knife.      So  pre- 
cisely did  he  know  just 
where  every  joint  was, 
that    not   once    did    he 
strike   a  bone,  but  cut 
the    entire    animal    up 
into  pieces  which  could 
be    easily    handled    by 
one     man,     as     though 
it    had    been    boneless. 
This    done,   the    pieces 

were      packed       in      the  Ikwa  and  his  Quarry. 

boat,  preparatory  to  taking  them  to  Redcliffe.  Here  at  Cape 
Cleveland  we  found  the  grass  very  green,  and  in  places 
over  two  feet  high.  This  unusual  growth  is  explained  by  the 


46  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

presence  of  blubber  caches,  seal  caches,  and  the  ruins  of  an 
Eskimo  village.  We  gathered  many  flowers,  among  which  the 
yellow  Arctic  poppy  was  the  most  prominent,  and  also  shot  a 
number  of  little  auk  and  a  few  gulls  and  eider-ducks.  Mr. 
Peary  hobbled  along  the  beach  on  his  crutches,  around  the 
cape,  and  had  his  first  view  up  Whale  Sound  and  Inglefield 
Gulf.  On  our  return  to  Redcliffe,  all  the  meat  was  hung  up 
back  of  the  house  to  be  used  in  the  winter  for  dog-food  and 
as  an  occasional  treat  for  our  Eskimo  family.  It  was  a  little 
too  strong  for  our  taste,  and  we  decided  we  would  resort  to  it 
only  in  case  we  were  unsuccessful  in  getting  deer. 

A  few  days  after  this,  early  in  the  morning,  Ikwa  came 
running  into  our  house,  apparently  much  excited,  crying, 
"Awick !  Awick  !  "  This  we  had  learned  was  walrus.  The 
boys  tumbled  out  of  their  beds,  and  in  a  very  few  moments  were 
in  the  boat  with  Ikwa,  pulling  in  the  direction  of  a  spouting 
walrus  out  in  McCormick  Bay.  In  a  short  time  they  returned 
with  a  large  mother  walrus  and  her  baby  in  tow.  The  mother 
had  been  killed,  but  the  baby  —  a  round  bundle  of  fat  about 
four  feet  long — was  alive,  and  very  much  so,  as  we  found  out  a 
little  later.  Mr.  Peary  wanted  to  get  photographs  of  the  little 
thing  before  it  was  shot,  and  while  he  was  dressing,  a  task 
which  was  of  necessity  slow,  the  boys  came  into  the  house, 
leaving  the  baby  walrus  about  a  hundred  yards  up  on  the 
beach.  Suddenly  we  heard  cries  for  help  coming  from  the 
shore.  On  stepping  to  the  window,  I  saw  one  of  the  most 
comical  sights  I  had  ever  seen.  The  little  walrus  was  slowly 


HUNTS   AND   EXPLORATIONS  47 

but  surely  making  his  way  to  the  waters  of  the  bay.  Mane 
with  her  baby  on  her  back  was  sitting  in  the  sand,  her  heels 
dug  into  it  as  far  as  she  could  get  them,  holding  on  to  the  line 
attached  to  the  walrus,  without  apparently  arresting  its  pro- 
gress in  the  least,  for  she  was  being  dragged  through  the 
gravel  and  sand  quite  rapidly.  While  I  looked,  Matt  came 
rushing  to  her  assistance,  and  taking  hold  of  the  line  just 
ahead  of  where  Mane  held  it,  he  gave  it  one  or  two  turns 
about  his  wrists,  and  evidently  thought  all  he  had  to  do 
would  be  to  dig  his  heels  into  the  sand  and  hold  back ;  but 
in  an  instant  he  was  down  in  the  sand  too,  and  both  he  and 
Mane  were  plowing  along,  the  sand  flying,  and  both  shouting 
lustily  for  help.  So  strong  was  this  little  creature  that  had 
not  the  other  boys  rushed  out  and  secured  him,  he  would 
easily  have  pulled  Matt  and  Mane  to  the  water's  edge,  where, 
of  course,  they  would  have  let  him  go,  and  he  would  have 
been  a  free  walrus  once  more.  I  have  always  regretted  that  I 
did  not  get  a  "  kodak  "  of  the  scene. 

It  was  now  the  end  of  August,  and  active  preparations 
were  in  progress  for  sending  a  party  with  provisions  to  estab- 
lish an  advance  depot  on  the  inland  ice  for  the  spring  sledge 
journey  across  the  great  ice  desert  to  the  northern  terminus 
of  Greenland.  It  was  decided  that  Astrup,  Gibson,  and  Ver- 
hoeff  should  go  on  this  trip,  while  Dr.  Cook  and  Matt  re- 
mained with  Mr.  Peary  and  myself  at  Redclifife. 

On  September  3,  all  arrangements  having  been  perfected 
for  the  inland  ice  party,  every  one  in  the  settlement,  except 


48  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Matt  and  Mane  with  her  children,  sailed  for  the  head  of 
McCormick  Bay,  where  it  had  been  decided  that  the  boys 
should  ascend  the  cliffs  and  attack  the  ice.  Redcliffe  House 
is  about  fifteen  miles  from  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  this 
distance  had  to  be  rowed,  for  we  got  no  favoring  breeze.  It 
was  late  in  the  evening  when  we  rounded  a  point  of  land 
whence  we  could  see  the  green  valley  stretching  from  the 
water's  edge  back  to  the  giant  black  cliffs,  which  here  form 
the  boundaries  of  the  inland  ice.  The  landscape  was  a  beauti- 
ful one.  As  I  looked  I  beheld  moving  objects  on  one  of  the 
hillsides,  which,  seen  through  the  glass,  seemed  to  me  to  be 
the  size  of  a  cow.  We  at  once  knew  they  were  reindeer,  and 
their  apparent  size  was  due  to  mirage.  Astrup  was  landed 
with  a  Winchester  at  a  point  where  he  could  go  round  and 
come  upon  the  grazing  herd  from  behind  the  hill ;  it  was 
hoped  they  would  not  see  him,  and  that  he  would  bag  quite  a 
number.  After  landing  Astrup  we  kept  on  until  we  were 
opposite  the  center  of  the  valley ;  here  our  boat  was  run 
ashore,  and  we  decided  to  camp. 

Mr.  Peary  told  me  to  take  a  run  over  the  rocks  and  down 
the  valley  in  order  to  get  warm,  as  I  had  become  chilled  from 
sitting  in  the  boat  and  not  exercising  for  several  hours ;  so 
after  seeing  him  safely  on  the  little  knoll  about  twenty  feet 
above  the  shore-line,  where  we  intended  to  make  camp,  I 
strolled  away.  Upon  climbing  the  hill,  just  back  of  the  camp- 
ing-ground, I  came  in  sight  of  the  herd  of  deer  which  we  had 
seen  from  the  boat,  and  as  I  watched  them  I  saw  the  smoke 


HUNTS   AND    EXPLORATIONS  49 

and  heard  the  report  of  Astrup's  rifle.  In  an  instant  they 
were  scampering  off  in  every  direction,  and  although  Astrup 
fired  shot  upon  shot  not  one  dropped.  One  of  the  animals, 
however,  after  running  some  distance,  stumbled  and  fell,  lay 
still  for  an  instant,  then  got  up,  ran  on  a  few  yards,  and  fell 
again.  As  it  did  not  rise  I  judged  it  had  received  one  of 
Astrup's  bullets,  and  forgetting  how  deceptive  distances  are 
in  the  pure,  clear  air,  I  started  on  the  run  toward  the  prostrate 
creature,  apparently  not  more  than  a  mile  distant.  Happen- 
ing to  look  back,  I  saw  Dr.  Cook  and  Ikwa  coming  in  my 
direction,  and  waited  for  them.  On  reaching  me  the  doctor 
said  they  were  on  their  way  to  help  Astrup  bring  in  his  game. 
I  called  his  attention  to  the  little  white  spot  on  the  green 
grass,  and  told  him  it  was  a  deer,  and  that  I  had  seen  it  drop. 
As  we  could  see  nothing  of  Astrup,  we  decided  to  take  care 
of  the  animal.  Dr.  Cook  had  his  rifle  loaded  with  twelve 
cartridges,  Ikwa  had  a  muzzle-loader  charged,  and  an  extra 
load  for  it  besides,  and  I  had  on  my  cartridge-belt  and  re- 
volver (a  38-caliber  Colt).  After  walking — or  trotting  would 
perhaps  express  it  better — for  some  distance,  we  came  to  a 
stream  that  flowed  down  the  center  of  the  valley  throughout 
its  length,  which  we  had  to  cross  in  order  to  reach  our  desti- 
nation. Fortunately  the  doctor  had  on  his  long-legged  rubber 
boots,  for  we  soon  saw  that  the  only  way  to  get  on  the  other 
side  was  to  wade  the  stream.  We  tried  it  at  different  places, 
and  finally  the  doctor  found  a  place  where  he  could  cross. 
First  taking  his  rifle  and  my  revolver  and  belt  of  cartridges 


50  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

over,  he  returned  for  me  and  carried  me  across ;  then  we 
continued  in  the  direction  of  the  white  spot,  which  all  this 
time  had  not  moved.  After  traveling  for  nearly  an  hour  we 
were  near  enough  to  see  that  beside  the  prostrate  deer  stood 
a  tiny  black-and-white  creature,  a  fawn.  Whether  it  saw  us 
and  whispered  to  its  mother,  I  do  not  know;  but  immediately 
after  we  had  made  out  the  little  one,  the  mother  deer  raised 
her  head,  looked  at  us,  then  rising  slowly,  started  off  at  a 
moderate  walk.  We  quickened  our  steps,  and  so  did  she. 
When  within  three  hundred  yards,  Dr.  Cook  discharged  his 
rifle  several  times,  but  only  succeeded  in  wounding  her  in  the 
fore  leg,  which  did  not  seem  to  retard  her  progress  in  the  least. 
Several  times  we  were  near  enough  to  have  shot  her  without 
any  trouble,  but  we  were  so  excited — a  case  of  buck-fever,  I 
believe  the  hunters  call  it — that  she  escaped  every  shot.  To 
add  to  our  difficulties  the  deer  made  for  a  neighboring  lake, 
and  in  the  effort  to  stop  her  before  she  reached  it,  we  fired 
shot  after  shot  until  the  doctor's  rifle  was  empty.  There  was 
now  nothing  for  us  to  do  but  stand  around  and  crouch  behind 
the  boulders  in  the  hope  that  the  poor  wounded  animal  would 
come  ashore  within  pistol-shot  range.  It  was  evident  that  she 
was  too  weak  to  swim  across,  and  it  was  very  touching  to  see 
how  the  little  fawn  would  support  its  mother  in  the  water. 
Once  or  twice  she  tried  to  climb  out  on  the  ice-foot,  but  the 
ice  was  not  strong  enough,  and  broke  beneath  her  weight.  We 
were  thoroughly  chilled  and  hungry  by  this  time,  but  disliked 
the  idea  of  returning  empty-handed  to  camp  after  such  a  long 


HUNTS   AND    EXPLORATIONS  51 

absence.  At  last,  just  as  we  were  talking  of  returning,  we 
saw  Astrup  in  the  distance,  and  called  to  him  to  join  us.  When 
he  came  up  to  us  he  said  he  had  had  no  luck.  He  had  a  few 
cartridges  left  in  his  rifle,  which  he  expended  on  our  victim 
without,  however,  harming  her  in  the  least.  Astrup  then 
urged  us  to  return,  as  he,  too,  was  tired  out;  but  we  were 
loath  to  leave  our  wounded  deer,  especially  as  we  now  knew 
it  was  only  a  matter  of  time  when  we  should  get  her,  for  she 
could  not  hold  out  much  longer.  Nearer  and  nearer  she  came 
to  the  ice,  finally  leaning  against  the  edge  as  if  to  gather 
strength,  when  suddenly  the  doctor  darted  over  the  ice-foot 
into  the  icy  water,  and  before  the  startled  animal  realized  his 
intention,  he  had  her  by  her  short  horns,  which  were  still  in 
the  velvet,  and  was  pulling  her  slowly  ashore.  The  little  one 
then  left  its  mother  for  the  first  time,  ran  as  fast  as  it  could 
over  the  rocks,  and  disappeared  behind  the  cliffs. 

The  doctor  had  some  trouble  in  pulling  the  wounded  animal 
out  on  the  ice,  which  kept  constantly  breaking.  All  this  time 
he  was  standing  knee-deep  in  the  ice-cold  water,  and  before 
long  he  had  to  call  to  us  to  relieve  him,  his  feet  and  legs  being 
so  numb  that  he  could  stand  it  no  longer.  As  Astrup  had  on 
low  shoes,  he  did  not  feel  like  wading  out  to  the  doctor,  who 
was  rubbing  and  pounding  his  feet,  so  I  went  to  his  relief. 
My  oil-tan  boots  kept  the  water  out  for  some  time.  Although 
I  could  not  drag  the  poor  creature  out  on  the  ice,  still  I  had 
no  difficulty  in  holding  her,  as  she  made  no  resistance  what- 
ever. After  the  doctor  had  somewhat  restored  his  circulation, 


52  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

he  came  to  me,  and  together  we  pulled  the  wounded  animal 
out.  Then  I  was  asked  to  kill  her  with  my  revolver,  but  I 
could  not  force  myself  to  do  it,  and  Astrup  took  the  weapon 
and  put  her  out  of  her  misery.  We  placed  the  body  on  a 
large  flat  rock,  piled  boulders  on  it,  and  left  it.  Both  Dr. 
Cook  and  I  were  thoroughly  cold  by  this  time,  and  we  all 
hurried  toward  camp.  It  was  now  nearing  midnight,  and  I 
had  been  away  from  camp  since  six  o'clock.  It  was  hard  to 
realize  the  time  of  day,  as  the  sun  was  shining  just  as  brightly 
as  in  the  early  afternoon.  We  soon  reached  the  river,  and 
across  it  the  poor  doctor  had  to  make  three  trips  :  first  to  carry 
the  rifles  over,  then  to  come  back  for  me,  and  then  to  go  after 
Astrup.  As  this  last  load  weighed  183  pounds,  and  the  cur- 
rent was  very  swift,  progress  was  of  necessity  slow.  The  doc- 
tor had  to  feel  his  way,  and  did  not  dare  to  lift  his  feet  from 
the  bottom.  At  last  we  were  all  safely  over.  Ikwa,  who  had 
taken  off  his  kamiks  and  stockings  and  waded  the  stream,  was 
lying  flat  on  his  back  on  a  mossy  bank  nearly  convulsed  with 
laughter  at  the  sight  of  the  doctor  carrying  Astrup.  Once 
across  the  river  we  redoubled  our  speed,  and  soon  reached 
camp,  where  I  found  Mr.  Peary,  with  Gibson  and  Verhoeff, 
anxiously  awaiting  me. 

The  next  two  days  the  boys  spent  in  packing  their  provi- 
sions and  equipment  over  the  bluffs  to  the  edge  of  the  ice, 
while  I  stayed  in  camp  and  cooked,  and  Ikwa  put  in  his  time 
hunting.  On  the  fourth  day,  Monday,  September  7,  right  after 
lunch,  the  boys  left  with  their  last  load,  and  in  spite  of  the 


HUNTS   AND    EXPLORATIONS 


53 


snow,  which  had  been  falling  lightly  all  day,  determined  to 
keep  on  to  the  inland  ice.  Dr.  Cook  accompanied  them,  help- 
ing them  carry  their  provisions  to  the  edge  of  the  ice,  and  on 
his  return  we  were  to  start  for  Redcliffe. 

Just  as  everything  had  been  stowed  away  in  the  boat,  a 
wind-storm  came  down  upon  us  which  threatened  to  blow  our 
little  craft  upon  the  rocks.  The  sea  was  rough  and  the  wind 
cold,  which  made  the  time  of  waiting  for  the  doctor  seem 
very  long.  At  last  we  were  joined  by  our  companion,  who 
told  us  that  he  had  left  the  inland  ice  party  ensconced  in  their 
sleeping-bags,  and  that  it  was  snowing  furiously  upon  the  ice- 
cap. When  we  reached  Redcliffe  seven  hours  later,  we  found 
everything  white  and  about  ten  inches  of  snow  on  the  ground. 


Cook. 


The  Crew  of  the  "  Faith." 

Ikwa.  Gibson.       Astrup.       Verhoeff. 


CHAPTER   V 

BOAT   JOURNEYS   AND    PREPARATIONS   FOR  WINTER 

Return  to  Head  of  McCormick  Bay  for  Deer  —  Footprints  on  the  Shore  —  Success- 
ful Deer  Hunt  —  Meeting  with  the  Returning  Inland  Ice  Party  —  Astrup  and 
Gibson  Make  a  Second  Attempt  on  the  Ice-cap — Attempted  Boat  Trip  up 
Whale  Sound  —  Stopped  by  the  New  Ice  —  Exciting  Battle  with  Walrus  — 
Dr.  Cook  and  Matt  Tramp  to  Nowdingyah's — Last  of  the  Boat  Trips  —  Setting 
up  the  Stove — My  Experience  with  a  Snow-slide — Final  Return  of  the  Inland 
Ice  Party — Preparing  Redcliffe  for  Winter. 

We  were  all  pretty  tired  the  next  day,  and  Mr.  Peary  de- 
cided to  wait  another  day  or  two  before  starting  on  a  second 
hunting-expedition  to  the  head  of  the  bay.  It  was  Thursday 
morning,  September  10,  when  we  nailed  up  our  doors  and,  out 
of  regard  for  "  social  custom,"  tacked  a  card  on  the  front  door, 
which  read :  "  Have  gone  to  Tooktoo  Valley  for  two  or  three 
days'  hunt.  Visitors  will  please  leave  their  cards,"  and  then 
headed  our  boat  eastward. 

In  order  to  avail  ourselves  of  the  breeze,  we  were  obliged  to 
cross  the  bay  and  then  tack.  When  about  half-way  it  was 
decided  to  run  ashore  and  prepare  lunch.  As  soon  as  the 
keel  of  the  boat  grated  on  the  sand,  Ikwa  jumped  out  to  make 
the  bow-line  fast,  but  he  had  hardly  touched  the  ground  be- 
fore he  gave  utterance  to  a  cry  of  surprise,  and  pointed  to  foot- 
prints in  the  sand.  In  a  moment  we  were  all  excitement. 


BOAT   JOURNEYS   AND    PREPARATIONS    FOR   WINTER      55 

The  footprints  were  those  of  two  persons  walking  in  the  direc- 
tion of  Redcliffe.  What  a  peculiar  sensation  it  is  to  find  signs 
of  human  beings  in  a  place  where  you  believe  yourself  and 
party  to  be  the  only  inhabitants  !  After  examining  them  care- 
fully, Ikwa  said  Gibson  and  Verhoeff  had  passed  down  the 
beach  that  morning.  This  worried  Mr.  Peary,  for  the  supposi- 
tion was  that  something  must  have  happened  to  one  of  the 
party,  and  the  other  two  were  bringing  him  to  Redcliffe.  He 
was  reassured,  however,  in  a  few  minutes  ;  for  on  following  the 
footprints  a  little  distance,  I  found  the  prints  of  all  three  of  the 
boys,  and  we  knew  that  the  inland  ice  party  had  returned. 
Knowing  that  they  would  make  themselves  comfortable  at  the 
house,  Mr.  Peary  decided  to  keep  on  to  the  hunting-grounds, 
which  we  reached  in  the  early  afternoon.  During  our  three 
days'  stay  in  this  lovely  valley,  Matt  and  Ikwa  bagged  nine 
deer ;  I  myself  went  hunting  once  or  twice,  but  without  suc- 
cess Most  of  my  time  was  devoted  to  taking  photographs 
of  the  glaciers  in  the  vicinity,  and  keeping  camp.  The  sand 
along  the  shore  was  too  deep  and  the  hills  were  too  steep  for 
Mr.  Peary  to  take  long  walks  in  any  direction,  and  he  was 
glad  to  have  company  in  camp. 

On  Monday  we  loaded  our  boat  with  the  trophies  of  the 
chase,  and  sailed  for  home.  When  within  three  and  a  half 
miles  of  the  house,  we  saw  Astrup  and  Verhoeff  coming  up  the 
beach,  and  we  immediately  hailed  them,  and  pulled  for  the 
shore.  They  got  into  the  boat,  and  during  our  sail  home 
Astrup  told  of  the  continued  storm  on  the  ice-cap ;  how  the 


56  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

deep  snow  had  prevented  their  making  more  than  one  or  one 
and  a  half  miles  per  day  ;  that  Verhoeff  had  frozen  his  face,  and 
that  they  had  then  decided  to  return  to  Redcliffe,  report  the 
condition  of  the  traveling,  and  see  if  Mr.  Peary  wished  them  to 
keep  on.  After  reaching  Redcliffe,  Mr.  Peary  gave  the  inland 
ice  party  a  few  days'  rest,  and  then  sent  them  in  the  "  Faith," 
our  largest  whale-boat,  back  to  the  head  of  McCormick  Bay 
to  bring  home  their  equipment  and  place  all  the  provisions  in 
a  cache  which  would  be  easily  accessible.  Gibson  and  Ver- 
hoeff were  to  put  in  two  or  three  days  hunting  deer,  while 
Astrup  was  to  make  a  careful  examination  of  the  cliffs  and 
glaciers  to  ascertain  the  most  practicable  route  to  the  ice-cap 
with  dogs  and  sledges.  They  returned  in  four  days,  and  we 
immediately  began  work  changing  the  equipment  to  make  it 
suitable  for  two  persons  instead  of  three,  and  dried  out  the 
sleeping-bags  thoroughly.  Three  days  afterward,  September 
22,  Astrup  and  Gibson  again  set  out  for  the  inland  ice. 

Wednesday,  September  23.  This  morning  at  9.30  Mr.  Peary, 
Matt,  Dr.  Cook,  Ikwa,  and  myself  started  in  the  "  Mary  Peary  " 
for  a  trip  up  Inglefield  Gulf.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  air 
stirring,  and  the  boys  had  to  row  from  the  start.  Before  we 
had  gone  a  mile,  several  burgomasters  flew  over  our  heads,  and 
we  next  came  upon  a  flock  of  eiders,  but  did  not  get  within 
gunshot.  When  just  off  Cape  Cleveland,  we  caught  sight  of 
several  walrus  in  the  middle  of  the  bay,  and  made  for  them. 
A  number  of  shots  were  fired,  and  some  of  the  animals  were 
wounded ;  but  as  Ikwa  said  we  should  be  sure  to  find  "  amis- 


BOAT   JOURNEYS   AND    PREPARATIONS   FOR  WINTER      57 

su-ar  "  (plenty)  "  awick  "  in  the  gulf,  we  did  not  wait  for  them 
to  come  again  to  the  surface.  After  a  two  hours'  rest  we 
proceeded  up  the  gulf,  but  were  stopped  by  the  heavy  new 
ice,  which  we  could  almost  see  forming  in  our  wake.  It  being 
certain  that  we  could  not  make  further  progress  by  the  boat, 
Mr.  Peary  decided  to  have  a  walrus-hunt  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining  ivory.  We  could  see  the  walrus  in  every  direction, 
and  headed  the  boat  for  a  cake  of  ice  with  about  fifteen  of  the 


Walrus  on  Ice-cake. —  Off  Herbert  Island. 

creatures  asleep  on  it.  The  boys  were  told  to  pull  for  all  they 
were  worth  until  the  order  was  given  to  stop.  Mr.  Peary  then 
took  his  camera,  and  he  became  so  absorbed  in  getting  his 
photo  just  right  that  he  forgot  to  give  the  order  to  stop  until 
the  boat  was  so  near  the  cake  of  ice  that  before  anything 
could  be  done  she  ran  on  it  at  least  four  feet,  throwing  her 
bow  straight  up  into  the  air.  The  walrus,  jumping  into  the 
water  from  under  her,  careened  the  boat  to  port  until  she 
shipped  water,  throwing  Matt  flat  on  his  back ;  then  with  a 


58  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

jerk  (which  proved  to  come  from  an  animal  Ikwa  had  har- 
pooned) she  was  righted,  and  we  were  skimming  over  the 
water,  through  the  new  ice,  towed  by  the  harpooned  walrus. 
This  performance  lasted  at  least  twenty  minutes,  during  which 
time  the  boys  kept  up  a  constant  volley  at  the  walrus  that 
besieged  us  on  every  side  to  revenge  their  wounded  com- 
panions. There  were  at  least  two  hundred  and  fifty  around 
us  at  one  time,  and  it  seemed  as  if  it  would  be  impossible  to 
keep  the  animals  from  attacking  us ;  but  by  steady  firing 
we  managed  to  hold  them  at  oar's  length.  This  kept  me 
busy  reloading  the  rifles.  I  thought  it  about  an  even  chance 
whether  I  would  be  shot  or  drowned. 

I  cannot  describe  my  feelings  when  these  monsters  sur- 
rounded us,  their  great  tusks  almost  touching  the  boat,  and 
the  bullets  whistling  about  my  ears  in  every  direction.  When- 
ever a  volley  of  shots  greeted  them,  the  whole  bunch  jumped 
into  the  air  and  then  plunged  under  water,  leaving  us  in  doubt 
as  to  where  they  would  reappear.  If  they  should  happen  to 
come  up  under  the  boat,  we  should  probably  be  the  ones  to 
take  the  plunge  ;  this  uncertainty  was  very  exciting,  especially 
as  the  brutes  went  down  and  came  up  in  bunches,  leaving  us 
seventy-five  or  a  hundred  to  fight  while  the  rest  plunged. 

Ikwa  had  evidently  never  seen  so  many  "  awick  "  at  one 
time,  and  became  very  much  frightened,  finally  pounding  the 
sides  of  the  boat  with  his  harpoon  and  yelling  at  the  top  of 
his  voice,  in  which  he  was  joined  by  Matt.  When  we  finally 
got  out  of  the  turmoil  we  had  four  heads  with  tusks,  and  would 


BOAT  JOURNEYS   AND    PREPARATIONS   FOR  WINTER      59 

have  had  more,  but  the  bodies  sank  before  we  could  secure 
them.  As  we  could  not  proceed  up  the  gulf  in  the  boat,  we 
camped  about  three  miles  southeast  of  Cape  Cleveland.  The 
boat  was  pulled  up  on  a  bit  of  sandy  beach,  and  with  the  aid 
of  the  boat-hooks  and  a  couple  of  tarpaulins  we  fixed  up  a 
very  comfortable  boat-tent. 

Thursday,  September  24.  It  was  decided  last  night  that 
Matt  and  Dr.  Cook  should  set  out  on  foot  for  "  Nowding- 
yah's,"  an  Eskimo  camp  of  which  we  had  been  in  search ;  so 
we  had  coffee  early,  and  by  eight  o'clock  the  boys  started  off 
with  their  rifles  and  some  pemmican. l  About  ten  o'clock 
the  boys  came  in  woefully  tired,  vowing  that  they  had  walked 
forty  miles,  and  reported  finding  Nowdingyah's  camp,  but  all 
four  igloos  were  deserted.  Ikwa  said  that  their  owners  were 
"  pehter-ang-ito"  (far  away)  hunting;  these  northern  Eskimos 
are  in  the  habit  of  leaving  their  settlements,  to  which  they 
periodically  return. 

Friday,  September  25.  Just  before  we  left  camp  at  eleven 
o'clock,  an  amusing  incident  occurred.  Ikwa,  who  had  been 
skirmishing  for  the  past  hour,  returned  in  a  jubilant  frame  of 

l  It  may  be  of  interest  to  my  readers  to  way  of  preserving  meat  when  whole  fami- 

know  just  what  pemmican  is.     The  best  lies  drove  out  on  the  prairies  and  hunted 

lean  beef  is  cut  in  strips  and  dried  until  it  buffalo.     As  soon  as  shot  the  buffalo  was 

can  be  pulverized,  then  it  is  mixed  with  an  skinned  and  the  green  skin  sewed  into  a 

equal  quantity  of  beef  suet.     To  this  mix-  bag,  into  which  the  meat,  after  it  had  been 

ture  are  added  sugar  and  currants  to  suit  the  sun-dried    and  mixed  with  the  suet,  was 

taste,  and   the  whole   is   heated  through  packed.     As  the  skin  dried  and  shrunk,  it 

until  the  suet  has  melted  and  mixed  with  compressed  the  meat,  which  in  this  way 

the  other  ingredients,  when  it  is  poured  was  preserved  indefinitely.      Pemmican  is 

into  cans  and  hermetically  sealed.     It  is  not  at  all  unpleasant  to  the  taste,  especially 

only  a  modification  of  the  old-fashioned  if  eaten  with  cranberry  jam. 


6O  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

mind,  and  announced  his  discovery  of  a  cached  seal.  He  asked 
Mr.  Peary  if  he  might  bring  the  seal  to  Redcliffe  in  the  boat, 
saying  it  was  the  finest  kind  of  eating  for  himself  and  family. 
We  could  not  understand  why  this  particular  seal  should  be  so 
much  nicer  than  those  he  had  at  Redcliffe ;  but  as  he  seemed 
very  eager  to  have  it,  we  gave  him  the  desired  permission,  and 
off  he  started,  saying  that  he  would  be  back  very  soon.  About 
half  an  hour  later  the  air  became  filled  with  the  most  horrible 
stench  it  has  ever  been  my  misfortune  to  endure,  and  it  grew 
worse  and  worse  until  at  last  we  were  forced  to  make  an 
investigation.  Going  to  the  corner  of  the  cliff,  we  came  upon 
the  Eskimo  carrying  upon  his  back  an  immense  seal,  which 
had  every  appearance  of  having  been  buried  at  least  two 
years.  Great  fat  maggots  dropped  from  it  at  every  step  that 
Ikwa  made,  and  the  odor  was  really  terrible.  Mr.  Peary 
told  him  that  it  was  out  of  the  question  to  put  that  thing  in 
the  boat;  and,  indeed,  it  was  doubtful  if  we  would  not  be 
obliged  to  hang  the  man  himself  overboard  in  order  to  disin- 
fect and  purify  him.  But  this  child  of  nature  did  not  see  the 
point,  and  was  very  angry  at  being  obliged  to  leave  his  trea- 
sure. After  he  was  through  pouting,  he  told  us  that  the  more 
decayed  the  seal  the  finer  the  eating,  and  he  could  not  under- 
stand why  we  should  object.  He  thought  the  odor  "pe-uh- 
di-och-soah  "  (very  good). 

At  noon  we  passed  Cape  Cleveland,  homeward  bound,  and 
an  hour  later  reached  Redcliffe.  The  house  seemed  very 
cold  and  chilly  after  the  bright  sunshine.  Verhoeff,  who  had 


BOAT   JOURNEYS   AND    PREPARATIONS   FOR  WINTER     6l 

been  left  in  charge,  greeted  us,  and  we  soon  had  all  the  oil- 
stoves  going,  bread  baking,  rice  cooking,  beans  heating,  venison 
broiling,  and  coffee  dripping,  and  at  two  o'clock  all  sat  down 
to  dinner  and  then  turned  in. 

Tuesday,  September  29.  The  last  three  days  have  been 
spent  in  hunting-explorations  on  the  north  shore  and  in  prep- 
arations for  the  winter.  The  stove  has  been  put  up,  the 
windows  doubled,  and  the  house  made  generally  air-tight. 
We^find  the  ice  in  the  bay  becoming  firmer  day  by  day,  and 
in  one  of  our  expeditions  we  found  it  all  but  impossible  to 
force  the  boat  through  it.  Mr.  Peary  has  now  left  off  his 
splints  and  bandages,  and  has  even  laid  aside  his  crutches. 
After  lunch  to-day  I  started  out  with  a  couple  of  fox-traps, 
and  put  them  in  the  gorge  about  a  mile  back  of  the  house. 
The  day  was  fine,  and  I  enjoyed  my  walk,  although  I  came  in 
for  an  unpleasant  scare.  After  leaving  the  traps,  I  thought  I 
would  go  over  the  mountains  into  the  valley  beyond,  and  see  if 
I  could  find  deer.  Half-way  up,  about  a  thousand  feet  above 
sea-level,  the  snow  began  to  slide  under  me,  taking  the  shales 
of  sandstone  along  with  it,  and  of  course  I  went  too,  down, 
down,  trying  to  stop  myself  by  digging  my  heels  into  the  snow 
and  attempting  to  grasp  the  stones  as  they  flew  by ;  but  I  kept 
on,  and  a  cliff  about  two  hundred  feet  from  the  bottom,  over 
which  I  would  surely  be  hurled  if  I  did  not  succeed  in  stop- 
ping myself,  was  the  only  thing  which  I  could  see  that  could 
arrest  my  progress.  At  last  I  stopped  about  half-way  down. 
What  saved  me  I  do  not  know.  At  first  I  was  afraid  to  move 


62  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

for  fear  I  should  begin  sliding  again;  but  as  I  grew  more 
courageous  I  looked  about  me,  and  finally  on  hands  and 
knees  I  succeeded  in  getting  on  firm  ground.  I  did  not 
continue  my  climb,  but  returned  to  the  house  in  a  round- 
about way. 

Mr.  Peary  had  the  fire  started  in  the  big  stove,  and  finds 
that  it  works  admirably.  The  trouble  will  be  to  keep  the  fire 
low  enough.  Ikwa  indulged  in  a  regular  war-dance  at  the 
sight  of  the  blaze,  never  before  having  seen  so  much  fire,  and 
for  the  first  few  moments  kept  putting  his  fingers  on  the  stove 
to  see  how  warm  it  was.  He  soon  found  it  too  hot.  He  has 
been  getting  his  sledge,  dog-harness,  spears,  etc.,  in  readiness 
for  the  winter's  hunt  after  seal. 

Wednesday,  September  30.  Toward  noon  Matt  came  run- 
ning in  shouting,  "Here  are  the  boys,  sir!"  and  sure  enough 
Astrup  and  Gibson  were  here,  bringing  nothing  but  their  snow- 
shoes  with  them.  They  were  on  the  ice  just  a  week,  and 
estimate  the  distance  traveled  inland  at  thirty  miles,  and  the 
greatest  elevation  reached  at  4600  feet.  They  returned  be- 
cause it  was  too  cold  and  the  snow  too  deep  for  traveling. 
At  the  same  time,  they  admit  that  they  were  not  cold  while 
on  the  march,  and  they  do  not  think  the  temperature  was  more 
than  10°  below  zero;  but  as  Gibson  stepped  on  and  broke  the 
thermometer  on  the  third  day,  up  to  which  time  the  lowest 
had  been  -2°,  they  had  no  way  of  telling  for  certain.  Gibson's 
feet  were  blistered,  he  having  forgotten  to  put  excelsior  or 
grass  in  his  kamiks.  He  believes  that  with  the  moral  support 


BOAT   JOURNEYS   AND    PREPARATIONS   FOR  WINTER      63 

of  a  large  party  they  can  easily  make  from  ten  to  fifteen  miles 
per  day. 

Thursday,  October  I.  The  day  has  been  fine;  the  house 
is  gradually  assuming  a  cozy  as  well  as  comfortable  appear- 
ance under  Mr.  Peary's  supervision.  He  is  about  from 
morning  until  night,  limping  a  great  deal,  but  he  has  put 
aside  his  crutches  for  good.  At  night  his  foot  and  leg  are 
swollen  very  much,  but  after  the  night's  rest  look  better,  al- 
though far  from  normal.  Ikwa  went  out  on  the  ice  to-day  for 
some  distance  to  test  its  strength.  I  took  my  daily  walk  to 
the  fox-traps,  and  as  usual  found  no  foxes  had  been  near  them. 

Sunday,  October  4.  Nothing  of  any  consequence  has  taken 
place  since  the  return  of  the  explorers.  The  boys  have  been 
at  work  on  the  house,  hanging  blankets,  putting  up  shelves, 
etc.  Friday  I  found  one  of  my  traps  sprung,  and  a  great  many 
tracks  around  it,  but  no  fox.  On  Saturday  we  went  down  to  the 
point  one  quarter  of  a  mile  below  the  house,  Mr.  Peary  walk- 
ing without  cane  or  crutch,  and  set  a  fox-trap  on  the  rocks 
near  some  tracks.  All  this  time  the  weather  has  been  perfect. 
To-day  Dr.  Cook  tried  going  out  on  the  ice,  but  it  did  not 
hold  him.  The  bunks  of  the  boys  have  been  placed  against 
the  east  side  of  the  large  room  and  separate  curtains  furnished. 
The  winter  routine  of  four-hourly  watches  throughout  the 
twenty-four  hours  was  begun  to-day,  the  boys  taking  them 
in  turn. 

Monday,  October  5.  It  has  been  cloudy  all  day  long,  but 
with  a  temperature  of  about  12°.  It  still  seems  warm,  as 


64  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

there  is  no  wind  whatever.  I  went  to  my  fox-traps  this  fore- 
noon, and  found  the  view  from  the  heights  very  fine.  The 
clouds  hung  low,  and  gave  a  soft  gray  background  for  the  blue 
bergs  which  gleamed  on  every  side  of  a  long  black  strip  of 
water — the  open  sea — in  the  far  distance.  The  light  that  fell 
on  Northumberland  Island  decked  it  in  a  bright  yellow, 
while  the  cliffs  across  the  bay  were  black  in  the  dark  shadow. 
The  boys  brought  the  "Mary  Peary"  up  and  turned  her 
over,  supporting  her  on  pillars  built  of  blocks  of  ice.  Here  Mr. 
Peary  intends  to  put  such  provisions  as  we  may  need  for  our 
boat-journey  home  next  summer,  covering  the  whole  thing 
with  snow.  The  "Faith"  has  been  turned  over  against  the 
front  wall,  and  a  place  fixed  under  her  for  the  Newfoundland 
dogs,  Jack  and  Frank.  As  soon  as  we  have  enough  snow  the 
house,  too,  will  be  banked  in  with  it. 


CHAPTER   VI 

WINTER    UPON    US 

McCormick  Bay  Frozen  over  —  First  Sledge  Trip  to  the  Head  of  the  Bay  for  Deer  — 
Shaky  New  Ice — First  Aurora — The  Strange  Light  on  the  Opposite  Shore 
—  First  Visit  from  the  Natives  —  Return  of  our  Hunting-party  with  Ten  Deer  — 
More  Natives — Second  Severe  Snow-storm  of  the  Season  —  Still  more  Native 
Visitors  —  Great  Amusement  over  the  White  Woman  —  Farewell  to  the  Sun. 

Tuesday,  October  6.  McCormick  Bay  is  frozen  over  so  as 
to  support  the  dogs  and  sledge,  and  Ikwa  has  been  on  several 
seal-hunts.  He  finds  one  of  the  holes  in  the  ice  which  the 
seals  keep  open  all  the  winter  and  where  they  come  to  breathe. 
Here  he  takes  up  his  position,  being  careful  not  to  make  the 
least  noise.  Sometimes  he  waits  for  hours  before  the  seal 
comes  up,  and  sometimes  the  seal  skips  that  hole  entirely. 
When  it  comes  he  drives  his  spear  through  the  hole  quick  as 
a  flash  into  the  head  of  the  animal.  In  this  way  all  the  seals 
are  caught  during  the  fall  and  winter.  Ikwa  went  out  on  his 
sledge  with  his  "  mikkie  "  (dog)  after  "  pussy  "  (seal)  to-day, 
but  did  not  get  any. 

The  day  has  been,  like  yesterday,  dark  and  cloudy,  but  the 
temperature  has  been  higher,  averaging  20°  instead  of  12°; 
the  wind  has  been  blowing  quite  fresh  from  the  east.  Mr. 
Peary  has  set  the  boys  at  work  building  a  sledge  for  a  prospec- 


66  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

tive  journey  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  I  have  been  busy  all 
day  getting  our  room,  or  rather  our  bed,  in  order.  All  the 
boxes  have  been  removed  from  under  the  bed,  to  my  great 
delight,  and  put  into  the  lean-to  at  the  south  end  of  the 
house.  It  felt  and  smelt  like  a  damp  cellar  under  there,  but 
now  that  the  air  has  a  chance  to  circulate  freely,  I  think  it 
will  be  better. 

I  have  not  been  out  of  the  house  to-day.  It  is  quite  dark 
at  six  o'clock,  and  on  a  cloudy  day,  as  to-day,  we  lighted  the 
lamp  at  five  o'clock. 

Matt  has  started  in  as  lunch-maker ;  this  gives  me  nearly 
all  day  to  myself.  Our  first  table-cloth,  of  unbleached  cot- 
ton, also  made  its  debut ;  it  is  a  great  improvement  on  bare 
boards. 

Wednesday,  October  7.  This  morning,  at  about  ten 
o'clock,  we  started  out  on  our  first  sledging-trip  up  the  bay 
in  search  of  "  tooktoo  "  (reindeer). 

Astrup,  Gibson,  and  Matt  pulled  our  sledge,  while  Jack 
and  Frank,  our  Newfoundland  dogs,  and  Mikkie,  were  har- 
nessed to  Ikwa's.  We  were  delighted  to  see  that  our  dogs 
would  pull,  but  Ikwa  soon  decided  that  Frank  was  "  peeuk 
nahmee  "  (no  good),  so  the  boys  put  him  to  their  sledge,  but 
he  preferred  pulling  backward  to  pulling  forward  ;  by  coaxing 
they  persuaded  him  to  help  them  somewhat,  but  it  was  always 
hard  work  to  get  him  started  after  a  stop. 

After  journeying  about  four  miles,  our  Eskimo  suddenly 
stopped  his  sledge  and  explained  that  he  did  not  want  any 


WINTER   UPON    US  67 

more  deerskins,  but  needed  "  pussy  "  skins  for  his  kamiks,  or 
boots,  kayak,  tupic  (tent),  etc.,  and  he  would  leave  us  and 
watch  the  seal-holes,  walking  home  at  night.  He  told  us 
how  to  fasten  his  mikkie,  and  then,  after  I  had  kodaked  him 
sitting  on  his  seal  chair  at  a  hole,  we  went  on.  I  ran  along 
at  the  upstanders  of  Mr.  Peary's  sledge,  he  being  all  alone ; 
but  the  ice  being  rather  slippery  and  the  dogs  traveling  along 
at  a  run,  I  soon  found  it  difficult  to  keep  on  my  feet,  and  so 
jumped  on  the  sledge  with  Mr.  Peary,  and  rode  the  greater 
part  of  the  time.  The  two  dogs  pulled  us  easily,  the  sledge 
and  load  weighing  about  five  hundred  pounds.  The  dogs  are 
fastened  to  the  sledge  by  single  traces,  and  are  guided  with- 
out reins  by  the  driver  with  a  long  whip  and  much  shouting. 
The  mikkie  not  understanding  our  language,  and  Mr.  Peary 
not  knowing  the  Eskimo  terms,  and  not  understanding  the  lan- 
guage of  the  whip,  we  had  no  means  of  guiding  our  team ; 
besides,  in  many  places  the  ice  had  to  be  tested  by  a  member 
of  the  party  going  ahead  with  an  alpenstock  and  "  feeling " 
it.  Often  detours  had  to  be  made,  and  several  times  we  had 
to  rush  over  places  where  the  ice  buckled  under  us,  and  it 
seemed  as  though  it  must  let  us  through;  for  these  reasons 
we  allowed  the  other  sledge  to  take  the  lead.  This  we  could 
do  only  by  stopping  and  letting  the  boys  get  one  fourth  or 
one  half  of  a  mile  ahead;  then,  giving  our  dogs  the  word,  they 
would  scud  along  at  the  top  of  their  speed,  not  making  any 
attempt  to  stop  until  they  had  caught  up  to  the  other  sledge, 
which  they  did  in  a  few  minutes.  In  this  way  we  finally 


68  MY   ARCTIC  JOURNAL 

reached  the  head  of  the  bay  shortly  after  six.  We  immedi- 
ately set  about  putting  up  the  tent  and  arranging  our  sleep- 
ing gear,  and  Mr.  Peary  got  the  stove  ready  and  put  on  ice 
for  tea,  and  also  a  can  of  beans  to  heat.  I  was  disabled  by  a 
sick-headache. 

During  the  next  few  days  the  boys  made  a  number  of  un- 
successful hunting-expeditions,  and  their  failure  decided  us  to 
return  to  Redcliffe.  The  mercury  had  already  descended  at 
nights  to  -4°,  yet  I  did  not  feel  the  low  temperature,  and 
indeed  had  not  felt  uncomfortably  cold  for  more  than  a  few 
minutes  at  a  time.  On  the  9th,  at  noon,  just  half  the  disk  of 
the  sun  appeared  over  the  top  of  the  mountain  back  of  the 
glacier,  and  it  was  evident  that  we  were  in  the  shadow  of  the 
Arctic  winter.  Two  days  later  we  saw  the  first  aurora — not  a 
good  one,  however. 

Monday,  October  12.  Back  again  at  Redcliffe.  In  the 
evening  Matt  came  in  very  much  excited,  saying  that  there 
was  a  moving  light  on  the  opposite  shore.  We  all  rushed 
out  to  see  it  How  queer  it  seems  to  be  the  only  human 
beings  on  this  coast !  Ikvva  said  Eskimos  were  eating  their 
supper,  and  would  be  here  to-morrow.  Astrup  fired  a  rifle. 

Tuesday,  October  13.  About  three  o'clock  this  afternoon 
Mane  came  in  and  said  "  Innuit "  (Eskimo)  was  coming  with 
"  kamutee  "  (sledge)  and  "  mikkie  "  (dog).  We  ran  out,  and 
with  the  aid  of  the  glass  saw  two  Eskimos,  one  of  them  Ikwa, 
and  a  sledge  drawn  by  three  dogs.  The  strange  "  husky  " 


WINTER   UPON   US  69 

turned  out  to  be  Nowdingyah,  whose  deserted  camp  we  visited 
last  month.  He  is  much  larger  in  every  way  than  Ikwa,  and 
seems  bright  and  intelligent.  When  offered  a  knife  in  ex- 
change for  one  of  his  dogs,  he  said  the  dog  we  wanted  was  the 
leader  of  his  team  of  bear-dogs,  specially  trained,  but  he 
would  come  again  by  and  by  and  then  give  us  tljree  others. 
We  have  now  little  difficulty  in  understanding  the  natives,  or 
making  ourselves  understood  by  signs. 

Saturday,  October  17.  The  weather  still  continues  lovely, 
although  the  days  are  rapidly  getting  shorter.  Late  Thurs- 
day night  Ikwa,  who  had  departed  with  our  visitor,  returned, 
telling  us  that  the  natives  where  Nowdingyah  lived  would 
soon  come  over  to  see  us ;  he  also  said  that  Nowdingyah  had 
seven  puppy-dogs,  and  this  is  why  he  was  so  willing  to  give 
us  three.  Ikwa  has  been  laying  in  a  supply  of  sealskins  for 
a  tupic  and  kayak,  and  says  he  will  need  fifteen  for  these 
articles  alone ;  he  will  require  an  additional  supply  for  kamiks 
for  himself  and  family.  The  seal  is  evidently  the  most  valu- 
able animal  of  the  chase  to  the  natives,  who  utilize  every 
particle  of  it  for  food  or  clothing.  About  three  o'clock  we 
discovered  the  boys,  who  had  gone  to  Five- Glacier  Valley, 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  bay,  coming  across  the  ice,  and 
about  an  hour  later  they  arrived  jubilant  with  a  load  of  ten 
deerskins,  one  blue  fox,  and  one  Arctic  hare.  Gibson  had  also 
shot  two  seals,  which  they  could  not,  however,  bring  with  them, 
as  the  ice  was  too  thin  for  the  hunters  to  reach  their  booty. 
Still  later  Ikwa  came  in,  and  said  "  Innuits  pingersut"  (Eski- 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


mos  three),  "  kamutee  martluk  "  (sledges  two),  were  coming; 
and  in  a  few  minutes  Nowdingyah,  Arrotochsuah,  and  Kayu- 
nah  landed  with  two  sledges  and  five  dogs.  Arrotochsuah 

is  an  old  man  with 
gray  hair,  but  looks 
exactly  like  a  wo- 
man ;  Kayunah  is  a 
young  man, stutters 
badly,  and  while 
he  has  a  decidedly 
idiotic  appearance 
he  has  a  fox-like 
expression  about 
the  eyes  and  nose, 

5?  and  accordingly  he 

Arrotochsuah  Fashioning  a  Spear.  hag     been     dubbed 

the  "Fox."  Nowdingyah  is  the  only  one  of  the  Eskimos  who 
has  hair  on  his  face,  and  he  has  a  little  mustache  and  imperial 
which  give  to  him  something  of  a  Japanese  touch. 

Sunday,  October  18.  Mr.  Peary  has  been  on  the  jump 
all  day,  getting  odds  and  ends  to  trade  with  the  natives. 
He  has  secured  three  very  fine  seal-spears,  one  walrus-lance 
—  all  with  fine  lines  of  walrus-hide  —  an  "  ikkimer  "  (soap- 
stone  blubber  lamp),  a  drill,  and  two  dogs  and  a  sledge. 
The  natives  left  early  in  the  afternoon,  the  old  man  being 
tired,  having  been  obliged  to  sleep  out  on  the  beach  on  his 
sledge,  with  no  shelter,  as  there  was  no  room  in  Ikwa's 


WINTER    UPON    US  71 

igloo ;  he  walked  about  the  greater  part  of  the  night  to 
keep  warm. 

Monday,  October  19.  Astrup  and  Verhoeff  went  to-day  to 
Cape  Cleveland,  and  put  up  a  flag-pole  and  signal  for  use  in 
surveying.  Mr.  Peary  is  fixing  up  my  lockers  with  cardboard, 
preparatory  to  putting  up  the  curtains.  So  far  the  weather 
has  been  fine ;  we  have  full  moon,  and  this  makes  it  seem  less 
like  night,  but  at  8  A.  M.  it  is  still  quite  dark.  From  about 
eleven  until  two,  the  coloring  on  land,  ice,  snow,  and  sky  is 
beautiful,  all  the  delicate  shades  being  brought  out  to  best 
advantage.  We  took  two  short  strolls,  fixed  up  the  curtains 
about  the  range  and  lockers,  and  then  I  did  a  little  sewing. 
To-night  the  wind  is  blowing  fiercely  from  the  south. 

Wednesday,  October  21.  Last  night  we  had  our  first 
wind-storm  since  the  second  night  of  our  encampment  here, 
when  I  was  in  the  tent  alone  with  Mr.  Peary,  who  was  strapped 
down  to  a  plank.  The  wind  rattled  things  in  a  lively  manner, 
and  the  boys  on  duty  had  to  go  out  every  fifteen  minutes  and 
inspect  the  premises  to  see  that  nothing  was  loosened  or  blown 
away.  This  wind  from  the  southeast  continued  until  five 
o'clock  this  morning,  when  it  abated  somewhat.  The  day  has 
been  cloudy.  The  boys  have  put  up  a  snow  hut  for  the  dogs, 
and  one  for  their  own  convenience,  in  which  to  experiment 
with  their  fur  clothing  and  sleeping-bags. 

Thursday,  October  22.  My  brother  Henry's  birthday. 
We  drank  his  health  and  prosperity  in  a  bottle  of  Haute 
Sauterne,  as  we  did  my  brother  Emil's  eleven  days  before. 


72  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

My  husband  and  I  are  keeping  house  alone.  All  the  boys 
have  gone  on  a  deer-hunting  expedition,  while  Ikwa,  with  the 
dogs,  is  after  hares.  We  have  had  Mane  here  all  day  at 
work  on  a  pattern  deerskin  stocking.  The  day  has  been  dark 
and  cloudy,  and  it  has  snowed  lightly. 

Friday,  October  23.  Last  night  it  snowed  a  very  little, 
and  this  morning  it  is  cloudy  and  gloomy.  We  sat  up  till 
midnight,  then  the  alarm  was  set  for  two  o'clock,  at  which  time 
coal  had  to  be  put  on  the  fire — an  operation  to  be  repeated  at 
four,  and  again  at  six.  Mane  has  been  with  us  all  day,  with 
her  two  piccaninnies,  at  work  on  deerskin  stockings.  The 
elder  child,  Anadore,  is  just  at  the  age  (two  years)  when  she  is 
into  everything,  and  she  tried  our  patience  to  the  limit.  We 
cannot  allow  Mane  to  take  the  furs  to  her  igloo  to  sew,  as  they 
would  be  filled  with  "koomakshuey  "  (parasites),  and  some 
one  must  stay  in  the  room  with  her  to  superintend  her  work. 
I  am  doing  very  little  besides  getting  the  meals  and  fixing  up 
odd  jobs  about  the  rooms;  reading  Greely's  work  is  about  the 
extent  of  my  labor.  To-night  at  nine  o'clock  the  thermometer 
is  10°,  and  the  moon  is  shining  brightly. 

Sunday,  October  25.  This  morning  there  was  about  three 
inches  of  new  snow  on  the  ground,  and  the  cliffs  back  of  the 
house  are  beginning  to  look  white.  About  2  P.  M.  huskies 
were  seen  coming  across  the  bay,  and  a  half- hour  later  they 
had  arrived, —  Kayunah,  his  "koonah"  (wife)  and  three  picca- 
ninnies, and  Arrotochsuah,  his  koonah  and  one  piccaninny. 
Arrotochsuah's  koonah  was  very  much  amused  at  me,  and 


WINTER    UPON    US  73 

kept  screaming  "Chimo  koonah!"  (Welcome  woman!)  until  I 
said  "  Chimo !  Chimo !  "  and  then  she  laughed  and  laughed. 
The  other  woman  was  more  quiet.  These  Eskimos  are 
much  cleaner  and  more  presentable  people  than  Ikwa  and 
his  family.  Later  in  the  evening  I  gave  each  woman  two 
needles,  a  cake  of  soap,  and  a  box  of  matches.  Arrotoch- 
suah's  koonah  presented  me  with  a  spoon  made  by  herself 
from  a  piece  of  walrus  tusk,  and  used  by  her  piccaninny, 
Magda,  a  boy  about  twelve  years  old,  ever  since  he  could 
feed  himself.  In  return  I  gave  the  boy  a  looking-glass,  and  I 
made  a  similar  present  to  Kayunah's  smallest.  Mr.  Peary 
allowed  all  hands  to  sleep  on  the  floor  in  the  boys'  room.  It 
is  amusing  to  listen  to  the  conversation  between  our  men  and 
the  huskies.  In  one  instance  the  boys  could  not  quite  make 
out  whether  a  man  had  died  from  eating  walrus  or  the  walrus 
had  eaten  him,  etc. 

Monday,  October  26.     To-day  is  the  last  day  the  sun  will 
be  above  the  horizon  until  February  I3th. 


CHAPTER   VII 

ESKIMO   VISITORS 

Our  Visitors  Leave  for  their  Homes  —  Departure  of  a  Party  to  Build  a  Stone  Hut 
in  Tooktoo  Valley  —  Arrival  of  the  Most  Northerly  Family  in  the  World  —  The 
Last  Hunting-party  of  the  Season  Goes  to  Five-Glacier  Valley — Still  the 
Natives  Come  —  Mama's  Birthday  —  Finishing  Touches  to  our  Winter  Quarters 
—  Eclipse  of  the  Moon  —  Beginning  of  the  Winter  Routine  —  Matt  Installed  as 
Cook  —  Thanksgiving. 

Wednesday,  October  28.  Yesterday  Nowdingyah  and  his 
piccaninny,  a  little  girl  about  two  and  a  half  years  old,  put  in 
their  appearance.  The  child  was  nicely  dressed  in  a  blue-fox 
"kapetah"  (overcoat)  and  seal  cap  trimmed  with  fox,  but  she 
was  not  as  pretty  as  Kayunah's  little  one.  I  gave  her  a  look- 
ing-glass, too,  which  amused  her  father  as  much  as  it  did  the 
child.  After  supper  Mr.  Peary  brought  out  his  reading-glass, 
and  Arrotochsuah's  wife  immediately  said  she  had  seen  a 
white  man  have  one  at  the  northern  settlement  of  Etah,  and 
she  showed  us  how  he  had  used  it  as  a  burning-glass.  We 
are  all  curious  to  know  what  party  of  white  men  she  had  seen. 
The  whole  evening  till  midnight  was  spent  in  taking  flash- 
light photographs  of  the  Eskimos  and  ethnological  measure- 
ments of  Kayunah. 

Our  Eskimo  visitors  left  for  their  homes  this  morning.  At 
noon  the  boys,  with  Dr.  Cook  in  charge,  started  for  Five- 

74 


ESKIMO   VISITORS  75 

Glacier  Valley  to  hunt  reindeer  and  to  bring  the  cached  veni- 
son down  to  the  edge  of  the  ice,  where  Ikwa  will  call  for  it 
in  a  few  days  and  bring  it  back  on  the  sledge.  The  boys 
will  then  proceed  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  and  under  Dr.  Cook's 
direction  build  a  stone  igloo  for  the  use  of  the  inland  ice  party 
next  spring.  About  three  o'clock  Matt  returned  for  a  tin  of 
biscuits  which  had  been  forgotten,  and  informed  us  that  Ver- 
hoeff  had  frozen  his  nose  and  face  severely,  and  that  Astrup's 
cheeks  had  also  been  nipped.  The  temperature  was— 10°, 
and  a  fresh  southeaster  was  blowing  across  the  bay.  Ikwa  and 
Mane  came  in  this  afternoon  and  added  quite  a  number  of 
words  to  our  Eskimo  vocabulary ;  the  former  also  gave  us  an 
account  of  the  murder  of  his  father  by  tatooed  natives  while 
out  after  bear  off  Saunders  Island. 

Saturday,  October  31.  Ikwa  started  this  morning  with  the 
sledge  and  dogs  for  Arrotochsuah's  igloo,  where  he  expects 
to  get  a  load  of  hay.  About  2  P.  M.,  while  we  were  out,  Mr. 
Peary  shoveling  snow  against  the  wall,  we  saw  a  dark  object 
on  the  ice,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  glass  made  out  a  sledge 
and  two  people,  but  they  did  not  seem  to  get  any  nearer,  and 
in  a  short  time  disappeared.  About  six  they  arrived  —  Annow- 
kah,  his  wife  M'gipsu,  and  an  awful-looking  baby  of  about 
two  months.  They  came  from  Nerki,  a  place  beyond  Arro- 
tochsuah's, two  days'  journey  from  Redcliffe.  They  are  cleaner 
and  more  intelligent-looking  than  any  natives  we  have  yet 
seen.  In  conversation  we  discovered  that  they  were  the  most 
northerly  family  of  Greenland,  and  consequently  of  the  globe. 


76 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


Mr.  Peary  and  I  are  having  great  times  keeping  house  by 
ourselves ;  he  brings  in  the  snow  for  water,  the  coal  and  coal- 
oil,  and  keeps  watch  during  the  night,  while  I  cook,  wash 
dishes,  sweep  (without  a  broom  —  the  only  article  of  impor- 
tance that  was  overlooked  in  the  preparations  for  our  Arctic 
journey),  and  look  after  Mane,  who  is  here  with  her  two 
children  working  on  the  reindeer  skins.  We  shall  not  be 
sorry  when  the  boys  return  and  take  some  of  these  duties  off 
our  shoulders. 

Thursday,  November  5.  Jack  is  the  father  of  eight  jet-black 
pups.  The  days  are  only  a  few  hours  long  now,  but  the  dark- 


Prepared  for  Winter. —  My  South  \\ 


ness  is  not  yet  the  darkness  of  a  winter  night  at  home.  Mr. 
Peary's  leg  is  improving  steadily,  and  he  seems  more  like 
himself.  The  strain  has  told  on  both  of  us,  and  I  am  glad  it 
is  over.  He  put  up  his  writing-desk  yesterday,  and  our  room 


ESKIMO   VISITORS  77 

is  almost  fixed  for  the  winter,  and  looks  very  cozy.  We  have 
been  busy  putting  up  the  rest  of  the  blankets  in  our  room, 
and  have  closed  the  side  window  and  one  half  of  the  end 
window.  As  daylight  has  almost  entirely  departed  this  will 
make  no  difference  in  the  amount  of  our  illumination,  and  the 
room  will  be  much  warmer,  although  thus  far  we  have  had  no 
cause  to  complain,  the  thermometer  not  having  registered 
below  1 6°  at  any  time. 

Our  house  is  by  no  means  a  palace,  nor  do  its  interior  fix- 
ings even  remotely  suggest  luxury.  We  have  two  rooms,  the 
smaller  of  which,  measuring  twelve  feet  by  seven  and  a  half, 
has  been  reserved  for  Mr.  Peary  and  myself,  while  the  larger, 
of  not  quite  double  the  size,  is  used  as  the  general  "  living- 
room,"  besides  affording  sleeping-quarters  to  the  boys.  A 
dining  or  "  mess  "  table,  a  few  rude  chairs,  a  book-case,  and 
the  "  bunks  "  built  to  the  east  wall,  constitute  the  furniture, 
of  which  it  can  in  truth  be  said  there  is  no  superabundance. 
The  red  blanketing  which  has  been  tacked  all  over  the  inside 
walls  and  the  ceiling,  seven  feet  overhead,  imparts  a  warm 
feeling  to  the  interior,  and  relieves  what  would  otherwise  be  a 
cheerless  expanse  of  boards  and  tar  paper.  Our  stove  in  the 
partition- wall  between  the  two  rooms  is  so  placed  as  to  give  a 
goodly  supply  of  heat  to  the  lowest  stratum  of  the  atmosphere. 

The  shell  of  the  house  is  made  of  inch  boards,  lined  inside 
and  outside  with  two-ply  and  three-ply  tarred  paper,  which 
is  made  to  fit  as  nearly  air-tight  as  possible.  To  the  inside  of 
the  ten-inch  rafters  and  posts  we  have  nailed  a  lining  of  heavy 


78  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

cardboard,  which  forms  a  support  to  the  blanketing,  be- 
sides making  a  complete  inner  shell  of  its  own.  Between  the 
two  shells  there  is  free  air  space,  which  will  greatly  help  to 
retain  the  warmth  in  the  rooms. 

A  stone  wall  has  been  built  around  the  house  four  feet 
away  from  it,  and  on  it  we  shall  store  our  boxes  of  provisions, 
and  the»  stretch  a  canvas  cover  over  to  the  roof  of  the  house. 
Our  corridor  will  thus  be  sheltered  as  well  as  the  house,  and 
even  in  the  most  inclement  weather  we  shall  be  able  to  breathe 
pure  air  and  have  outdoor  exercise.  With  the  first  heavy  snow 
everything  will  be  plastered  over  with  this  natural  fleece,  and 
cold  though  it  may  be  on  the  outside,  we  hope  to  keep  quite 
comfortable  within. 

Saturday,  November  7.  To-day  has  been  reception  day. 
We  have  to-night  seventeen  huskies  in  our  camp,  and  I 
don't  know  how  many  dogs ;  if  I  were  to  judge  by  the  howl- 
ing and  yelping,  I  should  say  at  least  fifty.  I  have  been  under 
the  weather  for  the  last  two  days,  but  feel  better  to-night. 

Sunday,  November  8.  We  generally  devote  Sunday  to 
sleep ;  the  boys,  except  the  watchman,  turn  in  right  after 
breakfast  and  sleep  till  lunch.  We  have  a  cold  supper,  which 
saves  me  the  trouble  of  cooking  Sunday  afternoon.  We 
usually  have  pemmican  and  cranberry  sauce,  salmon,  hot 
biscuits,  chocolate,  and  fruit.  Arrotochsuah  and  his  family 
moved  into  a  snow  igloo  to-day. 

Monday,  November  9.  Mama's  birthday.  My  thoughts 
have  been  at  home  and  with  her  all  day,  and  I  am  sure  she 


ESKIMO   VISITORS  79 

has  thought  of  me.  I  do  not  even  know  where  she  is.  In  my 
mind  I  have  seen  sister  Mayde  at  work  on  something  mysteri- 
ous for  the  past  week.  I  must  try  to  put  my  mind  on  some- 
thing else  or  I  shall  have  a  spell  of  homesickness.  I  placed  a 
bamboo  pole  across  the  front  of  our  bed  and  draped  the  two 
United  States  flags  (one  belonging  to  the  National  Geo- 
graphical Society  of  Washington,  and  the  other  to  the  Phila- 
delphia Academy  of  Natural  Sciences)  a  la  portiere  across  the 
front ;  then  on  the  wall  just  beside  my  place  I  have  hung  the 
photographs  of  my  dear  ones. 

Saturday,  November  14.  Very  little  worthy  of  note  has 
happened  this  week.  My  daily  routine  is  always  the  same ;  I 
take  my  coffee  in  bed,  then  get 
lunch  for  my  family,  take  a  walk 
afterward,  usually  with  Mr.  Peary, 
then  sewor  read,  and  at  four  o'clock 
begin  to  get  dinner.  Last  Thurs- 
day Gibson  initiated  Frank  into 
dragging  a  load  of  ice  from  the 
berg  to  the  house.  Yesterday  was 
lovely  and  clear,  and  the  full  moon 
which  we  have  throughout  the 

^%        * 

twenty-four    hours,    made    it    as 

bright  as  day.      Our  walk  to-day 

was  to  the  berg,  a  mile  distant  (as 

measured  by  our  newly  finished  odometer  wheel),  and  return  — 

the  first  long  walk  Mr.  Peary  has  taken  ;  his  leg  did  not  feel 


8o 

any  worse  for  the  trip,  but  was  considerably  more  swollen  at 
night.  Frank  to-day  for  the  first  time  behaved  very  well 
in  hauling  ice. 

Sunday,  November  15.  This  has  been  a  lovely  day.  How 
much  I  should  like  to  take  a  peep  at  the  home  folks!  To-night 
we  have  had  the  eclipse  of  the  moon.  It  was  first  noticed 
about  7.30,  and  Mr.  Peary  watched  it  carefully,  making  ob- 
servations with  his  transit  and  chronometer.  About  nine 
o'clock  Arrotochsuah  arrived  from  Netchiolumy,1  on  Barden 
Bay,  accompanied  by  one  of  his  sons  and  another  young  man. 
The  first  we  immediately  nicknamed  the  "  Smiler,"  and  the 
other  the  "  Villain,"  owing  to  the  expressions  on  their  faces. 

Tuesday,  November  17.  Yesterday  was  an  exceptionally 
fine  day,  beautifully  moonlit.  The  "Villain"  of  Netchiolumy 
has  a  sledge  made  of  the  boards  which  Dr.  Cook  traded  for  a 
tupic  when  the  "  Kite "  stopped  at  the  settlement  in  July. 
This  morning  Ikwa  introduced  a  rather  clean-looking  native 
from  Omanooy,  a  place  this  side  of  Akpani,  on  Saunders 
Island;  his  name  is  Kioppadu.  Our  sewing  progresses  slowly, 
Arrotochsuah's  wife,  whom  we  had  installed  as  seamstress, 
being  too  old  to  prepare  the  skins  by  the  time-honored  native 
method  of  chewing.  Matt  got  supper  to-night,  and  will  from 
now  until  May  I  prepare  all  the  meals  under  my  super- 
vision. This  gives  me  more  time  to  myself,  besides  not  con- 
fining me  to  the  house.  It  was  no  easy  task  for  me  to  cook 
for  six  boys,  and  for  such  appetites. 

1  Erroneously  called  by  most  geographers  Ittiblu. 


ESKIMO   VISITORS  8 1 

Thursday,  November  19.  We  have  had  our  first  real  winter 
snow-storm  to-day.  The  wind  whistled,  and  the  snow  was 
driven  into  every  crack  and  crevice.  Just  before  noon  Ka- 
yunah  and  family  came  ;  Makzangvva,  his  wife,  is  going  to  chew 
skins  for  us.  They  will  live  in  the  snow  igloo,  having  brought 
all  their  household  effects  with  them ;  these  consist  of  the 
soapstone  blubber  lamp  or  stove,  a  reindeer  skin  as  a  cover- 
let for  the  bed  (which  is  merely  a  bundle  of  hay  on  some 
pieces  of  board  given  them  by  us),  a  few  rabbit  and  gull  skins 
for  wraps  for  the  feet,  and  a  sealskin  to  put  against  the  wall 
behind  the  bed.  When  these  articles  are  put  inside  the  igloo, 
their  house  is  furnished. 

Saturday,  November  21.  A  clear  day;  the  stars  are 
twinkling  and  the  air  is  delightful,  but  one  must  exercise 
to  keep  warm.  Since  Matt  does  the  cooking,  I  take  long 
walks  every  day,  and  find  them  very  agreeable.  We  had  a 
general  house-cleaning  to-day,  and  will  have  it  now  every 
Saturday.  We  have  been  obliged  to  dismiss  the  Eskimos 
from  the  living-room  during  meal-time,  as  their  odor  is  too 
offensive. 

Sunday,  November  22.  Kayunah  came  in  this  morning, 
and  said  that  our  coffee  and  biscuit  made  his  family  sick,  and 
as  they  had  no  more  seal  meat  they  must  go  home.  Mr. 
Peary  gave  them  permission  to  help  themselves  to  the  walrus 
stacked  up  behind  our  house,  and  the  Eskimo  was  satisfied. 
Ikwa  and  Kyo  (Kioppadu)  have  gone  over  to  the  settlement 
of  Igloodahominy,  on  Robertson  Bay,  after  blue  foxes. 


82  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Monday,  November  23.  It  grows  gradually  darker  every 
day.  To-day  at  noon  it  was  impossible  to  read  ordinary  print 
by  daylight.  Mr.  Verhoeff  went  on  the  cliffs  to  look  at  his 
thermometer,  and  found  that  it  read  higher  than  those  at 
Redcliffe.  Ikwa  and  his  brother  returned  about  noon  without 
foxes  or  game  of  any  kind.  We  had  a  faint  aurora  this  even- 
ing. On  the  whole  I  am  very  much  disappointed  in  the 
auroras ;  I  thought  we  should  have  very  beautiful  displays  in 
the  Arctic  regions,  but  it  seems  that  we  are  too  far  north  of 
the  magnetic  pole. 

Wednesday,  November  25.  The  days  are  rather  unsatis- 
factory, although  I  keep  busy  all  day  sewing,  mending,  re- 
arranging my  room,  etc.  When  I  sum  up  at  bedtime  what  I 
have  accomplished,  it  is  very  little.  Mr.  Peary  and  the  boys 
are  busily  at  work  on  some  test  sledges.  This  afternoon 
Annowkah  and  M'gipsu  returned,  bringing  with  them  a 
twelve-year-old  girl,  named  Tookymingwah,  whose  father 
was  dragged  under  the  ice  and  drowned  a  few  weeks  ago  by 
an  infuriated  "oogzook"  seal  ( Phoca  barbata? )  which  he  had 
harpooned.  She  has  a  mother  and  two  sisters,  who  will  be 
here  soon. 

Mr.  Peary  issued  the  Thanksgiving  proclamation,  and  I 
have  been  busy  getting  things  ready  for  the  Thanksgiving 
dinner,  which  I  told  Matt  I  would  prepare.  Our  cooking  and 
baking  is  all  done  on  oil- stoves;  since  I  have  only  three 
ovens  I  baked  my  pies  to-day,  as  I  shall  need  all  the  stoves 
and  ovens  to-morrow.  This  forenoon  I  went  out  to  our 


ESKIMO    VISITORS  83 

berg,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Peary  and  my  two  Newfoundland 
dogs,  after  a  load  of  ice.  It  is  rather  a  novel  idea  to  me, 
chopping  ice  from  the  stately  icebergs  and  melting  it  for 
drinking  and  cooking  purposes. 

Thursday,  November  26.  Thanksgiving  day,  and  all  work 
is  suspended.  Before  lunch  I  went  down  to  Cape  Cleveland 
with  Mr.  Peary  to  see  how  much  daylight  still  remains 
toward  the  south.  The  sky  was  tinged  with  rose  near  the 
southern  horizon,  and  the  moon  was  just  coming  up  from 
behind  Northumberland  Island.  How  strange  it  is  that  while 
we  have  no  sunlight  whatever,  we  know  that  at  home  they 
are  having  day  and  night  just  as  usual !  The  temperature 
was  12*4°  F.  Dinner  was  served  at  7  P.  M.  All  the  boys 
wore  American  clothing,  and  the  room  was  draped  with  the 
Stars  and  Stripes. 


CHAPTER   VIII 

ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES 

Creeping  Toward  the  Winter  Solstice  —  Household  Economy  —  The  Holidays  — 
Christmas  Amusements  —  Christmas  Dinner  to  the  Natives — New-Year  Fes- 
tivities—  Moonlight  Snow-shoe  Tramps  —  Reception  in  the  South  Parlor. 

Wednesday,  December  2.  Thanksgiving  has  come  and 
gone.  We  had  a  very  pleasant  time,  and  enjoyed  our  din- 
ner as  much  as  any  one  at  home.  The  only  difference  be- 
tween day  and  night  at  Redcliffe  is  that  during  the  day  in 
addition  to  the  bracket-lamps  we  have  a  large  Rochester 
lamp  burning.  The  huskies,  as  we  continue  to  call  the  na- 
tives, have  named  it  the  "mickaniny  sukinuk"  (baby  sun). 
Matt  lights  it  at  8  A.  M.,  and  the  officer  on  watch  puts  it  out 
at  10  P.  M.  Mr.  Peary  has  made  a  rule  that  no  member  of 
the  party,  unless  ill,  shall  occupy  his  bunk  between  the  hours 
of  8  A.  M.  and  7  P.  M.  He  has  also  changed  from  the  four- 
hour  watches  to  twelve-hour  watches ;  thus  one  man  has  the 
night  watch  for  a  whole  week,  and  during  this  time  sleeps  in 
the  daytime,  and  one  man  has  the  day  watch.  At  the  end 
of  a  week  these  two  men  are  relieved  by  two  others.  The 
boys  think  they  like  this  arrangement  very  much  better. 
The  native  whom  Ikwa  brought  back  with  him  from  Keati 


ARCTIC   FESTIVITIES  85 

is  named  Mahoatchia,  and  Ikwa  says  that  he  and  the  one- 
eyed  bear-hunter,  Mekhtoshay,  of  Netchiolumy,  exchange 
wives  with  each  other  every  year.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  these  two  men  are  the  only  ones  in  the  tribe  who  in- 
dulge in  this  practice,  yet  the  other  men  seem  to  think  it  all 
right;  but  the  women  are  not  at  all  satisfied  with  this  so- 
cial arrangement. 

If  some  of  our  dear  ones  at  home  could  look  down  upon  us 
now  they  would  be  surprised  to  find  how  comfortable  and 
contented  we  are.  Everybody  is  busily  engaged  in  getting 
the  equipment  and  clothing  ready  for  the  long  spring  sledge 
journey  over  the  inland  ice.  Mr.  Peary  gives  me  an  idea  of 
what  kind  of  garments  he  wants,  and  I  am  making  experi- 
mental outfits  out  of  canton  flannel,  which,  when  satisfactory, 
will  be  used  as  patterns  by  which  the  skins  will  be  cut,  thus 
avoiding  the  chance  of  wasting  any  of  the  valuable  furs. 
While  I  am  at  work  on  this,  two  native  women,  M'gipsu,  wife 
of  Annowkah,  with  her  baby  on  her  back,  and  Tookyming- 
wah,  the  twelve-year-old  girl,  are  both  sitting  tailor- fashion 
on  the  floor,  chewing  deerskins.  The  native  method  of  treat- 
ing the  skins  of  all  animals  intended  for  clothing,  is  first  to  rid 
them  of  as  much  of  the  fat  as  can  be  got  off  by  scraping  with 
a  knife ;  then  they  are  stretched  as  tight  as  possible,  and 
allowed  to  become  perfectly  dry.  After  this  they  are  taken  by 
the  women  and  chewed  and  sucked  all  over  in  order  to  get  as 
much  of  the  grease  out  as  possible ;  then  they  are  again  dried 
and  scraped  with  a  dull  implement  so  as  to  break  the  fibers, 


86  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

making  the  skins  pliable.  Chewing  the  skins  is  very  hard 
on  the  women,  and  all  of  it  is  done  by  them;  they  cannot 
chew  more  than  two  deerskins  per  day,  and  are  obliged  to 
rest  their  jaws  every  other  day. 

Kyo,  Ikwa's  brother,  and  Annowkah  come  in  occasionally 
and  scrape  some  of  the  skins  after  they  have  been  chewed. 
Kyo  especially  tries  to  make  himself  useful.  He  presents 
rather  a  comical  appearance  in  his  bearskin  nanookies  and  blue 
guernsey  given  him  by  one  of  the  boys.  Every  time  he  sees 
any  shavings  or  other  trash  on  the  floor  he  seizes  the  broom, 
made  by  him  out  of  the  wings  of  eider-ducks,  and  sweeps 
it  up.  Mr.  Peary  and  the  boys  are  carpentering  from  morn- 
ing till  night,  and  every  day  we  assure  one  another  that  we  do 
not  mind  the  Arctic  night  at  all;  but  I  don't  think  that  any  of 
us  will  object  to  seeing  the  sun  again. 

Thursday,  December  10.  A  whole  week  has  passed  since 
I  wrote  in  my  journal.  We  have  had  one  or  two  very  dis- 
agreeable days,  the  wind  making  it  too  unpleasant  for  my 
daily  walk. 

We  have  been  busy  working  on  the  fur  outfits.  I  have  suc- 
ceeded in  getting  satisfactory  patterns  for  Mr.  Peary ;  Mane 
and  M'gipsu  are  sewing.  The  former  is  a  poor  sewer,  but 
M'gipsu  is  very  neat  as  well  as  rapid,  and  I  have  suggested  to 
Mr.  Peary  that  he  offer  her  an  inducement  if  she  will  stay  and 
sew  until  all  the  garments  are  completed.  She  understands 
us  and  we  understand  her  better  than  any  of  the  other  natives, 
including  Ikwa  and  Mane,  although  they  have  been  with  us 


ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES 


fully  ten  weeks  longer.  I  hope  it  is  not  a  case  of  new  broom, 
and  that  she  will  wear  well.  The  little  girl  Tookymingwah, 
whom  we  all  call  "  Tooky,"  is  a  neat  little  seamstress,  but  is 
not  very  rapid.  A  few 
days  ago  her  mother, 
named  Klayuh,  but 
always  called  by  us 
the  "  Widow, "  arrived 
with  her  two  younger 
daughters,  the  young- 
est about  five  years 
old.  I  asked  her  if 
she  had  only  the  three 
children,  and  she 
burst  into  tears  and 
left  the  house  with- 
out answering  me. 
Turning  to  M'gipsu, 
I  asked  her  what  it 
meant,  and  she  said  it 
was  "  peuk  nahmee  " 
(not  well)  for  me  to 
ask  Klayuh  about  other  children.  When  I  insisted  upon 
knowing  why,  she  took  me  aside  and  whispered  that  Klayuh 
had  just  killed  her  youngest  child,  about  two  years  of  age, 
by  strangling  it.  She  went  on  to  explain  that  it  was  perfectly 
right  for  Klayuh  to  do  this,  as  the  father  of  the  child  had 


M'gipsu  Sewing. 


88  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

been  killed,  and  she  could  not  support  the  children  herself, 
and  no  man  would  take  her  as  a  wife  so  long  as  she  had  a 
child  small  enough  to  be  carried  in  the  hood.  I  asked  her 
if  this  was  always  done,  and  she  said :  "  Oh,  yes,  the  women 
are  compelled  to  do  it." 

Mr.  Peary  has  spoken  to  M'gipsu  about  staying  at  Red- 
clifife  as  seamstress,  and  she  is  delighted  at  the  opportunity. 
When  Ikwa  heard  of  this  arrangement  he  rushed  in  and 
wanted  to  know  why  he  was  "no  good"  for  Peary,  and  why 
Mane  could  not  do  the  sewing,  and  said  that  if  Peary  pre- 
ferred Annowkah  and  M'gipsu  he  would  pull  down  his  igloo 
and  take  his  family  back  to  Keati.  It  was  some  little 
time  before  we  could  quiet  him  and  make  him  understand 
that  we  needed  more  than  one  woman  to  sew  all  of  the 
clothing. 

The  last  three  days  have  been  particularly  busy  ones  for  me, 
as  Matt  has  been  sick  in  bed  with  something  like  the  grippe, 
and  I  have  had  the  cooking  to  do  in  addition  to  the  sewing. 
The  poor  fellow  has  had  an  uncomfortable  time,  but  the  doc- 
tor says  he  will  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  two. 

Our  house  looks  like  a  huge  snow-drift  from  a  little  distance, 
so  completely  is  it  covered  with  snow.  The  whole  village 
presents  the  appearance  of  a  series  of  snow- mounds  of  various 
sizes.  We  have  five  snow  igloos  inhabited  by  the  natives, 
besides  a  storehouse,  an  experimental  snow-house,  and  some 
dog-houses,  all  built  of  blocks  of  snow.  Just  at  present  we 
are  getting  quite  a  little  amusement  out  of  two  young  natives 


ARCTIC   FESTIVITIES  89 

from  Cape  York,  who  express  the  same  surprise  at  us  and  our 
mode  of  living  as  the  country  boy  does  the  first  time  he  comes 
to  a  city.  They  are  dressed  in  new  suits  throughout, — kamiks, 
bearskin  nanookies,  foxskin  kapetahs,  and  birdskin  shirts, — 
and  so  the  boys  have  nicknamed  them  the  "Cape  York  dudes." 
The  younger  one,  Keshu,  is  a  stepbrother  of  Klayuh,  and  he 
has  brought  her  the  sad  tidings  that  their  father  is  very  sick 
and  will  probably  never  get  well  again.  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised if  she  would  return  to  Cape  York  with  them. 

Monday,  December  21.  The  dark  night  is  just  half  over; 
to-day  is  the  shortest  day.  So  far  the  time  has  not  seemed 
very  long,  but  I  am  afraid  before  we  have  had  many  more 
dark  days  we  shall  all  think  it  long  enough.  I  have  done 
nothing  as  yet  toward  celebrating  Christmas,  but  I  want  to 
make  some  little  thing  for  Mr.  Peary.  As  far  as  the  boys  are 
concerned,  I  think  an  exceptionally  good  dinner  will  please 
them  more  than  anything  else  I  could  give  them.  M'gipsu 
has  made  a  pair  of  deerskin  trousers  for  one  of  the  boys,  and 
has  also  completed  a  deerskin  coat.  She  is  now  at  work  on  a 
deerskin  sleeping-bag,  which  is  to  be  fastened  about  the  neck 
of  the  occupant,  over  a  fur  hood  with  a  shoulder  cape,  which 
I  am  endeavoring  to  fashion. 

She  is  sitting  on  the  floor  in  my  room  (an  unusual  honor), 
and  her  husband,  Annowkah,  comes  in  as  often  as  he  can  find 
an  excuse  for  doing  so.  He  frequently  rubs  his  face  against 
hers,  and  they  sniffle  at  each  other ;  this  takes  the  place  of 
kissing.  I  should  think  they  could  smell  each  other  without 


90  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

doing  this,  but  they  are  probably  so  accustomed  to  the  (to 
me)  terrible  odor  that  they  fail  to  notice  it. 

I  dislike  very  much  to  have  the  natives  in  my  room,  on 
account  of  their  dirty  condition,  and  especially  as  they  are 
alive  with  parasites,  of  which  I  am  in  deadly  fear,  much  to  the 
amusement  of  our  party.  But  it  is  impossible  for  the  women 
to  sew  in  the  other  room,  where  the  boys  are  at  work  on  their 
sledges  and  ski,  so  I  allow  two  at  a  time  to  come  into  my 
room,  taking  good  care  that  they  do  not  get  near  the  bed. 
At  the  end  of  their  day's  work,  I  take  my  little  broom,  which  is 
an  ordinary  whisk  lashed  to  a  hoe-handle,  and  sweep  the  room 
carefully.  The  boys  have  made  brooms  out  of  the  wings  of 
ducks  and  gulls,  which  are  very  satisfactory,  there  being  only 
the  bare  floor  to  sweep;  but  I  have  a  carpet  on  my  floor,  and  the 
feather  brooms  make  no  impression  on  it,  so  I  am  compelled 
to  use  my  little  whisk.  It  answers  the  purpose  admirably,  but 
it  takes  me  twice  as  long  as  it  would  otherwise  have  done. 
After  the  room  has  been  thoroughly  swept,  I  sprinkle  it  with  a 
solution  of  corrosive  sublimate,  given  to  me  by  the  doctor,  and 
in  this  way  manage  to  keep  entirely  free  from  the  pests. 
Both  Mr.  Peary  and  myself  rub  down  with  alcohol  every  night 
before  retiring  as  a  further  protection  against  these  horrible 
"  koomakshuey,"  and  we  are  amply  repaid  for  our  trouble. 
Matt  has  entirely  recovered  from  his  sick  spell,  and  has  again 
taken  charge  of  the  cooking. 

I  was  right  in  my  surmise  about  the  widow ;  she  accompa- 
nied the  "dudes"  to  Cape  York,  taking  her  three  children  with 


ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES  91 

her.  Kyo  also  left  at  the  same  time  for  his  home  at  Omanooy. 
He  says  he  will  return  in  ten  days  with  a  load  of  deerskins 
which  he  has  at  his  igloo.  Mr.  Peary  loaned  him  two  of  his 
dogs,  and  has  promised  him  ammunition  in  exchange  for 
the  deerskins.  We  are  anxious  to  see  what  kind  of  a  gun  he 
has;  he  says  he  got  it  from  an  old  man  who  had  received  it 
from  a  white  man  long  ago. 

We  have  had  a  great  house-cleaning  in  honor  of  the  ap- 
proaching holidays.  I  have  replaced  the  cretonne  curtains  at 
the  bottom  of  my  bed,  wash-stand,  bookcase,  and  trunk,  with 
new  ones,  and  have  put  fresh  muslin  curtains  at  my  windows. 
The  boys  have  cleaned  the  large  room,  taking  all  superfluous 
lumber  and  tools  out,  and  have  even  scrubbed  the  floor.  The 
natives  think  we  are  crazy  to  waste  so  much  water.  Poor 
things,  they  think  water  was  made  only  for  drinking  purposes. 

Saturday,  December  26.  Just  after  I  made  the  last  entry 
in  my  journal,  one  of  the  boys  reported  that  the  tide- 
gage  wire  was  broken.  Mr.  Peary,  Verhoeff,  and  Gibson 
went  out  to  put  it  in  commission.  After  about  an  hour  Ver- 
hoeff rushed  into  the  house  calling,  "  Doctor,  Doctor,  come 
out  to  the  tide-gage  as  quick  as  you  can  !  "  The  doctor, 
whose  turn  it  was  to  be  night-watchman,  and  who  was  there- 
fore asleep  at  this  hour,  tumbled  out  of  his  bunk  and  into  his 
clothes,  and  made  a  rush  for  the  tide-gage.  I  was  lying  in 
my  bed  suffering  from  the  effects  of  a  sick-headache  ;  but  never 
having  fully  recovered  from  the  shock  caused  by  Mr.  Peary's 
accident  in  Melville  Bay,  and  realizing  that  he  was  not  yet 


92  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

quite  sure  of  his  injured  limb,  the  thought  flashed  across  my 
mind  that  something  had  happened  to  him.  No  sooner  did 
this  idea  occur  to  me  than  it  became  a  settled  fact,  and  in 
less  time  than  it  takes  to  tell  I  had  thrown  on  my  wrapper 
and  kamiks,  caught  up  a  steamer-rug  to  throw  about  me,  and 
was  on  my  way  down  to  the  tide-gage.  As  I  ran  down  the 
beaten  path,  I  could  see  the  light  of  the  little  bull's-eye  lantern 
flashing  to  and  fro  in  the  distance.  It  was  as  dark  as  any 
starlight  night  at  home,  although  it  was  early  in  the  evening, 
and  not  any  darker  now  than  it  had  been  at  noon.  I  could 
hear  the  low  buzz  of  conversation  without  being  able  to  dis- 
tinguish any  voices,  and  the  figures  seemed  all  huddled  to- 
gether. My  whole  attention  was  absorbed  by  this  little  group, 
and  I  did  not  properly  watch  my  path ;  consequently  I 
stumbled,  then  slipped  and  lost  my  footing,  falling  astride  a 
sharp  ridge  of  ice  on  the  ice-foot.  For  an  instant  I  could  not 
tell  where  I  was  hurt  the  most,  and  then  I  discovered  that  I 
could  move  neither  limb,  the  muscles  refusing  to  do  my  bid- 
ding. I  next  tried  to  call  Mr.  Peary,  whose  voice  I  could  now 
distinctly  hear,  but  I  could  utter  no  sound.  Then  I  lost  con- 
sciousness. The  next  thing  I  knew,  I  was  lying  on  the  same 
spot  in  the  same  position.  The  little  group,  not  more  than 
sixty  yards  away,  were  laughing  and  talking ;  but  I  was  unable 
to  raise  my  voice  above  a  hoarse  whisper,  and  could  in  no  way 
attract  their  attention,  so  interested  were  they  in  their  work  of 
raising  the  tide-gage  anchor.  I  was  clothed  in  such  a  way 
that  lying  out  on  the  ice  with  the  temperature  eighteen  degrees 


ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES  93 

below  zero  was  anything  but  comfortable.  I  found  that  by 
great  exertion  I  could  move  myself,  and  by  doing  this  a  little 
at  a  time,  I  gradually  got  on  my  hands  and  knees  and  crawled 
back  to  the  house.  As  the  whole  distance  was  up-hill  and 
every  movement  painful,  I  was  obliged  to  make  frequent 
stops  to  rest.  At  last  I  reached  my  room  and  had  just 
strength  enough  left  to  drag  myself  upon  the  bed.  I  noticed  by 
the  clock  that  I  had  been  absent  thirty-five  minutes.  On  ex- 
amination it  was  found  that  I  was  cut  and  bruised  all  over, 
but  the  doctor  declared  that  I  was  not  seriously  hurt ;  but  even 
now  I  have  not  entirely  recovered  from  the  effects  of  the  fall. 
The  day  before  yesterday  was  spent  in  decorating  the  in- 
terior of  our  Arctic  home  for  the  Christmas  and  New- Year 
festivities.  In  the  large  room  the  ceiling  was  draped  with  red 
mosquito-netting  furnished  by  Mr.  Gibson.  Dr.  Cook  and 
Astrup  devised  wire  candelabra  and  wire  candle-holders, 
which  were  placed  in  all  the  corners  and  along  the  walls. 
Two  large  silk  United  States  flags  were  crossed  at  one  end  of 
the  room,  and  a  silk  sledge-flag  given  to  Mr.  Peary  by  a  friend 
in  Washington  was  put  up  on  the  opposite  wall.  I  gave 
the  boys  new  cretonne  for  curtains  for  their  bunks.  In  my 
room  I  replaced  the  portieres,  made  of  silk  flags,  with 
which  the  boys  had  decorated  their  room,  by  portieres  made 
of  canopy  lace,  and  decorated  the  photographs  of  our  dear 
ones  at  home,  which  were  grouped  on  the  wall  beside  the  bed, 
with  red,  white,  and  blue  ribbons.  This  occupied  us  all  the 
greater  part  of  the  day.  About  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening 


94  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Mr.  Peary  made  a  goodly  supply  of  milk-punch,  which  was 
placed  upon  the  table,  together  with  cakes,  cookies,  candies, 
nuts,  and  raisins.  He  gave  each  of  the  boys  a  book  as  a 
Christmas  gift.  We  spent  the  evening  in  playing  games  and 
chatting,  and  at  midnight  Mr.  Peary  and  I  retired  to  our  room 
to  open  some  letters,  boxes,  and  parcels  given  to  us  by  kind 
friends,  and  marked,  "  To  be  opened  Christmas  eve  at  mid- 
night." I  think  our  feeling  of  pleasure  at  the  many  and 
thoughtful  remembrances  was  clouded  by  the  feeling  of  intense 
homesickness  which  involuntarily  came  with  it.  It  was  the 
first  Christmas  in  my  life  spent  away  from  home,  and  for  the 
first  time  since  the  little  "  Kite  "  steamed  out  of  Brooklyn  I 
felt  how  very  far  away  we  are  from  those  we  love  and  who 
love  us.  I  shall  never  forget  the  thoughtful  kindness  of  Mrs. 
Beyer,  wife  of  the  governor  of  Upernavik,  to  a  perfect  stranger. 
Although  she  is  obliged  to  get  all  her  supplies  from  Denmark, 
and  then  order  them  a  year  in  advance,  out  of  her  slender 
stock  she  had  filled  a  large  box  with  conserves,  preserves, 
bonbons,  spice-cakes,  tissue-paper  knickknacks  for  decorating 
the  table,  and  very  pretty  cards  wishing  us  a  merry  Christ- 
mas. Mr.  Peary  had  carved  for  me  two  beautiful  hairpins,  and 
I  made  a  guidon  out  of  a  silk  handkerchief  and  a  piece  of 
one  of  my  dresses,  to  be  carried  by  him  on  his  long  journey 
over  the  ice-cap  to  the  northern  terminus  of  Greenland. 

Yesterday  —  Christmas  morning  —  we  had  a  late  breakfast, 
and  it  was  very  near  noon  before  all  the  inmates  of  Redcliffe 
were  astir.  I  had  decided  to  have  an  early  dinner,  and  then  to 


ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES  95 

invite  all  our  faithful  natives  to  a  dinner  cooked  by  us  and 
served  at  our  table  with  our  dishes.  I  thought  it  would  be  as 
much  fun  for  us  to  see  them  eat  with  knife,  fork,  and  spoon 
as  it  would  be  for  them  to  do  it. 

While  I  was  preparing  the  dinner,  most  of  the  boys  went 
out  for  a  walk,  "to  get  a  good  appetite,"  they  said.  After  the 
table  was  set,  Astrup  placed  a  very  pretty  and  cleverly  de- 
signed menu-card  at  each  plate.  Each  card  was  especially 
appropriate  to  the  one  for  whom  it  was  intended. 

At  4.30  P.  M.  we  all  sat  down  to  our  "Merry  Christmas." 
The  dinner  consisted  of 

Salmon  a  la  can. 

Rabbit-pie  with  green  peas. 

Venison  with  cranberry  sauce. 

Corn  and  tomatoes. 

Plum-pudding  with  brandy  sauce. 

Apricot-pie. 

Pears. 

Candy,  nuts,  raisins. 
Coffee. 

We  arose  from  the  table  at  half-past  seven,  all  voting  this  to 
have  been  the  jolliest  Christmas  dinner  ever  eaten  in  the 
Arctic  regions.  After  Matt  had  cleared  everything  away,  the 
table  was  set  again,  and  the  Eskimos  were  called  in.  Ikwa 
and  his  family  sent  regrets,  as  they  had  just  returned  from  a 
visit  to  Keati,  and  were  too  tired  to  put  on  "full  dress  "  for  a 
dinner-party.  We  therefore  had  only  two  of  our  seamstresses, 


96  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

M'gipsu  and  Inaloo,  with  us;  in  place  of  Ikwa  and  his  wife  we 
invited  two  visitors,  Kudlah  and  Myah.  We  had  nicknames 
for  all  the  natives.  Ahngodegipsah  we  called  the  "Villain"  on 
account  of  the  similarity  of  his  expression,  when  he  laughed, 


Christmas  Dinner  to  the  Natives. 

to  that  of  the  villain  on  the  stage.  His  wife,  Inaloo,  talked 
so  incessantly  that  she  at  once  received  from  the  boys  the 
nickname  of  the  "Tiresome."  M'gipsu  was  called  the  "Daisy" 
because  she  could  do  anything  she  was  asked  to  do.  Her 
husband,  Annowkah,  we  knew  as  the  "  Young  Husband  ";  Kud- 
lah was  called  "Misfortune";  and  Myah  was  known  as  the 
"White  Man."  The  "Villain"  was  put  at  the  head  of  the  table 


ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES  97 

and  told  that  he  must  serve  the  company  just  as  he  had  seen 
Mr.  Peary  serve  us.  The  "Daisy"  took  my  place  at  the  foot  of 
the  table,  her  duty  being  to  pour  the  tea.  The  "  Young  Hus- 
band "  and  "Misfortune"  sat  on  one  side,  while  "Tiresome" 
and  the  "White  Man"  sat  opposite.  Their  bill  of  fare  was  as 

follows : 

Milk-punch. 

Venison-stew,  corn-bread. 
Biscuit,  coffee. 
Candy,  raisins. 

It  was  amusing  to  see  the  queer-looking  creatures,  dressed 
entirely  in  the  skins  of  animals,  seated  at  the  table  and 
trying  to  act  like  civilized  people.  Both  the  "Villain"  and 
the  "Daisy"  did  their  parts  well.  One  incident  was  especially 
funny.  Myah,  seeing  a  nice-looking  piece  of  meat  in  the  stew, 
reached  across  the  table,  and  with  his  fork  endeavored  to  pick 
it  out  of  the  dish.  He  was  immediately  reproved  by  the 
"Villain,"  who  made  him  pass  his  mess-pan  to  him  and  then 
helped  him  to  what  he  thought  he  ought  to  have,  reserving, 
however,  the  choice  piece  for  himself.  They  chattered  and 
laughed,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  themselves  very  much.  Both 
women  had  their  babies  in  their  hoods  on  their  backs,  but  this 
did  not  hinder  them  in  the  least.  Although  at  times  the 
noise  was  great,  the  little  ones  slept  through  it  all. 

M'gipsu  watched  the  cups  of  the  others,  and  as  soon  as  she 
spied  an  empty  one  she  would  say :  "  Etudoo  cafee  ?  Nahme  ? 
Cafee  peeuk."  (More  coffee  ?  No?  The  coffee  is  good.)  Fin- 


98  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

ally  at  ten  o'clock  the  big  lamp  was  put  out,  and  we  told  them 
it  was  time  to  go  to  sleep,  and  that  they  must  go  home,  which 
they  reluctantly  did. 

To-day  has  been  a  rather  lazy  day  for  us  all,  and  now  at 
ii  P.  M.  Mr.  Peary,  Dr.  Cook,  and  Matt  have  just  come  in 
from  a  visit  to  the  fox-traps  about  two  miles  distant.  On  the 
return  they  indulged  in  a  foot-race,  and  when  they  came  in 
they  looked  as  if  they  had  been  dipped  in  water.  The  per- 
spiration ran  in  streamlets  down  their  faces.  This  trip  has 
encouraged  Mr.  Peary  very  much  in  the  belief  that  by  next 
spring  his  leg  will  be  just  as  good  as  it  ever  was. 

Saturday,  January  2,  1892.  I  have  been  lazy  about  writing 
up  my  notes  lately,  but  now  I  shall  turn  over  a  new  leaf. 
1891  has  gone;  what  will  1892  bring?  I  don't  think  I  want 
to  know.  Better  take  it  as  it  comes,  and  hope  for  the  best. 
The  "Villain"  and  his  wife  have  gone  to  their  home  in  Netchi- 
olumy,  Myah  and  Kudlah  also  have  left  us,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  Keshu  (alias  the  "Smiler")  and  his  wife,  all  of  our 
Eskimo  visitors  have  departed ;  Ikwa  and  family  and  An- 
nowkah  and  family  remain,  but  they  are  not  considered 
company  at  Redcliffe. 

The  sun  is  surely  coming  back  to  us,  for  at  noon  now  we 
have  a  perceptible  twilight,  and  the  cliffs  opposite  Redcliffe 
can  be  plainly  seen.  Since  December  29  the  weather  has 
been  very  disagreeable,  and  we  have  considerable  new  snow. 
The  whole  week  has  been  a  semi-holiday.  Almost  every  day 
I  have  been  out  for  a  snow-shoe  tramp,  and  I  have  rather  en- 


ARCTIC    FESTIVITIES  99 

joyed  it  in  spite  of  the  wind,  which  is  just  high  enough  to  be 
disagreeable. 

On  the  3<Dth  I  issued  cards  of  invitation  for  an  "  At  home 
in  the  south  parlor  of  Redcliffe,  December  31,  from  10  P.  M. 
1891  to  1892."  The  day  was  a  thoroughly  Arctic  one,  and 
I  was  glad  that  my  guests  would  not  have  far  to  come.  .  All 
day  I  was  busy  preparing  for  company.  I  had  to  manufac- 
ture my  own  ice-cream  without  a  freezer,  bake  my  own  cake 
and  crullers,  and  set  everything  out  on  an  improvised  side- 
board. At  9  P.  M.  I  dressed  myself  in  a  black  silk  tea-gown 
with  canary  silk  front,  covered  and  trimmed  with  black  lace, 
cut  square  in  the  neck  and  filled  in  with  lace,  and  having  lace 
sleeves.  At  ten  my  guests  began  to  arrive.  The  invitations 
were  limited  to  the  members  of  the  North  Greenland  Ex- 
pedition of  '91  and  '92,  and  they  all  looked  especially  nice 
and  very  much  civilized,  most  of  them  actually  sending  in 
their  cards.  They  were  all  dressed  in  "store  clothes,"  al- 
though one  or  two  clung  to  their  kamiks.  I  had  no  chairs, 
so  each  guest  was  requested  to  bring  his  own.  Mr.  Peary  sat 
on  the  bed,  while  I  occupied  the  trunk.  I  spent  a  very  de- 
lightful evening,  and  I  think  the  boys  enjoyed  the  chocolate 
ice-cream  and  cake.  At  midnight  we  all  drank  "  A  Happy 
New  Year "  in  our  Redcliffe  cocktail,  and  then  my  guests 
departed.  All  this  time  the  wind  was  howling  and  moan- 
ing, and  the  snow  was  flying,  while  the  night  was  black  as 
ink,  not  a  star  being  visible.  More  than  once  during  the 
evening,  when  a  particularly  heavy  gust  swept  down  from  the 


IOO  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

cliffs  and  fell  against  our  little  house  with  a  shriek,  the  con- 
trast between  inside  and  outside  was  forced  upon  us. 

The  next  day  we  had  a  late  breakfast,  and  then  two  of  the 
boys  went  out  to  lay  off  a  course  for  the  athletic  games 
which  they  had  been  discussing  for  some  time.  The  weather 
was  so  bad  that  I  did  not  go  out  to  witness  them,  but  let 
Matt  go,  and  prepared  our  New- Year's  dinner  alone.  This 
time  Mr.  Peary  decided  that  he  would  give  the  natives  the 
materials  for  their  own  New- Year's  dinner  and  let  them  prepare 
it  themselves.  They  were  given  eider-ducks,  reindeer  legs, 
coffee,  and  biscuit.  We  have  quite  a  batch  of  new  Eskimos, 
among  them  two  men  from  Cape  York,  who  are  almost  as 
tall  as  Mr.  Peary,  and  whom  we  call  the  "giants."  They 
have  quite  a  number  of  narwhal  tusks  to  trade,  and  are 
determined  to  have  a  rifle  for  them,  but  I  hardly  think  they 
will  get  it. 


CHAPTER   IX 

THE   NEW  YEAR 

The  New  Year  Ushered  in  with  a  Fierce  Storm  —  Return  of  the  Noon  Twilight 
—  We  fail  to  feel  the  Intense  Cold  —  Native  Seamstresses  and  their  Babies  — 
Some  Drawbacks  to  Arctic  Housekeeping  —  Peculiar  Customs  of  the  Natives 
— Close  of  the  Winter  Night. 

Saturday,  January  9.  The  storm  which  began  December  29 
has  continued  until  this  morning.  Now  it  looks  as  though  it 
might  clear  off.  The  new  snow  is  about  twenty-four  inches 
deep  on  a  level,  and  there  are  drifts  as  high  as  1  am. 

Fortunately  we  had  a  good  ice  supply  on  hand,  and  no 
native  visitors,  for  they  drink  twice  as  much  water  as  we  use 
for  cooking,  drinking,  and  toilet  purposes  combined.  The 
boys  have  been  busy  on  their  individual  ski  and  sledges ; 
Mr.  Peary  has  been  fitting  and  cutting  fur  clothing  and 
sleeping-bags;  and  the  "Daisy"  has  been  sewing  as  hard  as 
she  can.  The  wind  is  still  blowing  in  squalls,  and  of  course 
the  snow  is  still  drifting,  but  the  moon  came  out  for  a  little 
while  to-day,  and  we  think  and  hope  the  storm  is  over. 

Monday,  January  n.  At  last  clear  and  cold,  and  the  twi- 
light is  very  pronounced  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  Every- 
body is  still  busy  sewing  or  carpentering.  Each  one  of  the 


IO2  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

party  is  desirous  of  having  his  ski  lighter  and  stronger 
than  those  of  the  others,  except  Verhoeff,  whose  whole  in- 
terest is  divided  between  the  thermometer  and  the  tide-gage. 
The  words  of  the  physicians  on  board  the  "  Kite  "  six  months 
ago  have  come  true  —  Mr.  Peary's  leg  is  practically  as  sound 
as  it  ever  was. 

Saturday,  January  16.  During  the  last  week  we  have  had 
beautiful  weather — calm,  clear,  and  cold.  Every  day  we  have 
a  more  decided  light,  and  I  take  advantage  of  it  by  indulging 
in  long  snow-shoe  tramps.  I  can  walk  for  hours  without  tiring 
if  a  single  snow-shoer  has  gone  before  me;  but  if  I  attempt  to 

break  the  path  alone  I  soon  get  ex- 
hausted. I  have  been  busy  making 
foot-wraps  out  of  blanketing,  and 
have  also  made  myself  some  articles 
of  clothing  out  of  the  same  material. 
We  find  that  mittens  made  out  of 
blanketing  and  worn  inside  the  fur 
mittens  absorb  the  moisture  and  add 
to  the  warmth  and  comfortable  feeling. 
"\1  Hk^  My  room  has  looked  more  like  a 

In  my  Kooletah.  gun-shop  than  anything  else  for  the 

last  few  days;  Mr.  Peary  has  been  putting  a  new  spring  in 
his  shot-gun  and  overhauling  an  old  rifle. 

Sunday,  January  17.  To-day  at  2  P.  M.  Mr.  Peary  and 
I  went  out  for  our  tramp.  The  temperature  was  -45°, 
and  the  only  chance  to  walk  was  along  the  pathway  made 


THE    NEW  YEAR  103 

through  the  twenty-inch  depth  of  snow  three  quarters  of  the 
way  to  the  iceberg.  It  is  astonishing  how  little  I  feel  these 
low  temperatures :  Mr.  Peary,  however,  always  sees  that  I  am 
properly  protected.  In  many  of  the  little  details  I  should  be 
negligent,  and  would  probably  suffer  in  consequence,  but  I 
have  to  undergo  an  inspection  before  he  will  let  me  go  out. 

The  daylight  was  bright  enough  to-day  to  enable  us  to  read 
ordinary  print,  and  we  feel  that  ere  long  we  shall  have  the 
sun  with  us  again  for  at  least  a  portion  of  the  twenty-four 
hours.  We  stayed  out  only  half  an  hour,  but  my  dress  for 
about  two  feet  from  the  bottom  was  frozen  stiff  as  a  board, 
my  kamiks  were  frozen  to  the  stockings,  and  the  stockings  to 
the  Arctic  socks  next  my  feet;  yet  I  have  felt  much  colder 
at  home  when  the  temperature  was  only  a  little  below  the 
freezing-point. 

The  remainder  of  the  day  we  spent  in  marking,  clipping, 
and  sorting  newspaper  cuttings.  This  occupation  we  found 
so  interesting  that  we  prolonged  it  until  after  midnight. 

Monday,  January  18.  The  day  has  been  bright  and  calm. 
Mr.  Peary,  with  Dr.  Cook  and  Astrup,  took  his  first  snow- 
shoe  tramp  of  the  season,  and  went  nearly  to  the  berg.  This 
is  the  first  time  the  broken  leg  has  been  given  such  vigorous 
exercise,  but  it  stood  the  strain  remarkably  well.  I  have  been 
busy  on  the  sleeping-bag  cover  all  day.  I  find  it  very  incon- 
venient, not  to  say  disagreeable,  sewing  in  a  temperature  of 
44°  ;  but  as  I  am  dependent  on  the  stoves  in  the  other  room 
for  my  heat,  it  cannot  be  helped.  Verhoeff  has  a  mania  for 


104  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

saving  coal,  and  keeps  everybody  half  frozen.  He  kept  the 
fire  to-day  on  six  tomato-cans  of  coal.  Water  spilled  near  the 
stove  froze  almost  instantly. 

Tuesday,  January  19.  Somewhat  cloudy  to-day,  but  after 
lunch  Mr.  Peary  and  I  went  out  to  the  berg  on  snow-shoes.  I 
did  not  get  a  single  tumble,  and  Mr.  Peary  said  I  managed  my 
snow-shoes  very  well.  I  was  as  warm  as  any  one  could  wish  to 
be,  although  the  thermometer  registered  44°  below  zero.  We 
took  our  time,  not  hurrying  at  all,  and  so  prevented  perspira- 
tion, which  always  makes  one  uncomfortable  in  these  low 
temperatures.  I  had  no  shoes  or  kamiks  on,  only  the  deer- 
skin stockings,  and  a  pair  of  long  knit  woolen  ones  over 
them,  yet  my  feet  were  warmer  than  ever  before  on  these 
outdoor  tramps. 

Thursday,  January  21.  A  clear  and  perceptibly  lighter 
day  than  yesterday ;  indeed,  it  seems  as  if  it  grew  lighter  now, 
a  month  after  the  shortest  day,  much  more  rapidly  than  it  grew 
darker  a  month  before  the  shortest  day.  Mr.  Peary,  the  doc- 
tor, and  Astrup  started  a  path  with  their  snow-shoes  toward 
Cape  Cleveland,  and  made  about  half  the  distance.  The  doc- 
tor and  Astrup  took  our  sledge,  the  "  Sweetheart,"  to  the  ice- 
berg, intending  to  bring  in  a  load  of  ice,  but  as  they  reached 
the  berg  they  heard  the  howling  of  dogs  ahead  of  them  and 
saw  a  dark  object  on  the  snow  some  distance  away.  They 
started  for  it,  and  found  a  party  of  huskies  plowing  their  way 
through  the  snow.  The  party  consisted  of  Keshu,  his  wife 
and  child  of  three  years,  his  brother,  Ahninghahna,  older  than 


' 


THE   NEW    YEAR  IO5 

he,  and  Magda,  a  boy  of  twelve.  They  were  on  their  way 
to  Redcliffe.  They  had  been  staying  with  Keshu's  father, 
Arrotochsuah,  but  as  the  food  was  giving  out  over  there,  and 
as  the  old  people  were  not  able  to  travel,  they  thought  it 
desirable  to  look  elsewhere.  They  all  have  frost-bites  except 
the  little  child,  and  were  very  grateful  for  the  assistance  given 
them  by  the  doctor  and  Astrup  in  getting  to  the  house.  They 
tell  us  that  they  have  been  on  the  way  for  five  days  and 
nights,  the  distance  being  about  fifteen  miles.  To-night  the 
woman  was  photographed,  and  her  portrait  added  to  our  eth- 
nological series. 

Friday,  January  22.  Another  clear,  cold  day;  the  temper- 
ature, —  39°.  The  addition  of  the  new  Eskimos  makes  the 
settlement  much  more  lively.  In  the  house  I  wear  a  knit 
kidney-protector,  a  Jaros  combination  suit,  two  knit  skirts,  a 
flannel  wrapper,  and  a  pair  of  knit  stockings,  together  with  a 
pair  of  deerskin  ones  in  place  of  kamiks.  When  going  out  I 
only  add  my  snow-shoes,  my  kooletah  (great  fur  overall),  and 
muff.  In  this  rig  I  can  stay  out  and  walk  for  hours,  and  feel 
more  comfortable  than  I  have  felt  while  shopping  in  Philadel- 
phia or  New  York  on  a  winter's  day.  This  evening  Mane 
No.  2  (wife  of  Keshu)  and  M'gipsu  have  been  at  work  in  my 
room,  both  sitting  flat  on  the  floor,  the  former  cutting  and  fit- 
ting two  pairs  of  kamiks  for  us  from  a  skin  brought  here  by 
herself,  for  which  she  will  receive  a  clasp-knife.  The  bargain 
pleases  her  greatly.  These  women  are  both  good  sewers,  and 
it  would  interest  some  of  our  ladies  to  watch  them  at  their 


106  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

work.  They,  as  well  as  all  the  other  native  women,  usually 
take  off  their  kamiks  and  stockings  while  in  the  house,  so  that 
almost  the  entire  leg  is  bare,  their  trousers  being  mere  trunks. 
They  sit  flat  on  the  floor,  using  their  feet  and  legs  to  hold 
the  work,  and  their  mouths  to  make  it  pliable ;  the  thimble  is 
worn  on  the  forefinger,  and  they  sew  from  right  to  left.  The 
thread  is  made  as  they  need  it  by  splitting  the  deer  or  narwhal 
sinews  and  moistening  them  in  the  mouth.  While  at  this 
work  the  babies  are  being  continually  rocked  or  shifted  on 
their  backs  without  the  aid  of  the  hands.  The  children  are 
carried  in  the  hood  constantly,  whether  awake  or  asleep,  for 
the  first  year,  and  only  taken  out  when  fed.  They  are  tiny, 
ugly  creatures,  and  until  they  are  able  to  walk  never  wear 
anything  but  a  sealskin  cap  which  fits  close  about  the  face, 
where  it  is  edged  with  fox,  and  a  foxskin  jacket  reaching  to 
the  waist. 

Saturday,  January  23.  I  cleaned  "house,"  which  means 
our  little  room,  seven  by  twelve.  This  in  itself  would  be  no 
task,  but  we  have  no  brooms,  and  every  inch  of  my  floor  is 
swept  with  a  whisk-broom  and  on  my  knees.  As  I  have  only 
one  whisk,  and  that  a  silver- handled  one,  I  can  afford  to  sweep 
thoroughly  only  once  a  week.  I  have  put  an  old  blanket 
down  which  covers  the  carpet  in  the  middle  of  the  room, 
where  all  the  walking  and  working  is  done.  This  blanket  is 
shaken  every  day  and  the  room  brushed  up,  giving  us  a  fairly 
clean  apartment.  I  also  finished  the  sleeping-bag  cover.  Now 
at  midnight  the  temperature  is  — 30^°,  and  the  doctor  and 


THE    NEW    YEAR  IO7 

Astrup  have  taken  their  sleeping-bags  out  under  the  boat  as 
an  experiment  in  sleeping  in  the  open  air. 

Monday,  January  25.     A   clear,  calm   day,  with  the   very 
bright  daylight  tipping  all  the  bergs  and  crests  of  the  cliffs 
with  silver.     The  temperature  is  —29°,  and  the  landscape  is  a 
cold-looking  one,  but  its  aspect  does  not 
chill  us.     It  is  certainly  novel  to  feel  so 
decidedly  hot  in  a  temperature  of  —30°, 
while  my  handkerchief  freezes  stiff  be- 


A  Winter  Recreation. —  My  Cross-matched  Team. 

fore  I  get  through  using  it.  I  have  been  busy  cutting  and 
sewing  a  flannel  lining  for  my  reindeer  knickerbockers,  for 
which  I  utilized  my  old  gray  eiderdown  wrapper.  I  also  made 
out  a  schedule  or  bill  of  fare  for  the  week,  arranging  the  menu 
for  each  day,  so  as  to  get  the  greatest  benefit  from  the  patent- 
fuel  stove  and  save  as  much  oil  as  possible. 


108  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Thursday,  January  28.  About  five  o'clock  I  was  called  out 
to  see  the  brightest  aurora  we  had  yet  seen.  It  extended  over 
us  almost  due  east  and  west.1  This  night  we  succeeded  in 
obtaining  an  observation  of  Arcturus. 

Friday,  January  29.  To-day  we  went  out  to  the  "  amphi- 
theater berg,"  breaking  a  new  path  part  of  the  distance  — 
warm  as  well  as  hard  work.  This  evening,  for  the  first  time 
in  our  house,  one  of  the  women  (Mane)  stripped  herself  to  the 
waist ;  there  she  sat  sewing  away,  in  the  midst  of  a  crowd  of 
huskies  as  well  as  our  boys,  just  as  unconcerned  as  if  she  were 
clad  in  the  finest  raiment.  The  men  do  this  frequently  when 
it  gets  too  warm  for  them,  but  I  never  saw  a  woman  do  it 
before.  It  is  true  they  are  nearly  always  entirely  nude  in 
their  igloos,  and  visiting  Eskimos,  as  soon  as  they  enter  an 
igloo,  take  off  every  stitch,  just  as  we  lay  aside  our  wraps  and 
overcoats  at  home.  This  is  done  by  both  sexes. 

Sunday,  January  31.  Another  month  has  slipped  away, 
and  I  can  say,  "  One  month  nearer  home."  I  must  admit  I 
am  very  homesick  at  times.  Hardly  a  night  passes  that  I  do 
not  dream  of  some  of  my  home  folks.  The  bill  of  fare  which  I 
made  out  for  last  week,  giving  the  times  for  cooking  each  dish 
on  the  patent-fuel  stove,  worked  very  well,  and  I  can  save 
about  one  quart  of  oil  a  day ;  this  will  be  of  considerable  help 
to  us  in  case  we  shall  be  obliged  to  go  to  south  Greenland  in 
our  boats.  I  walked  down  to  the  two  first  fox-traps,  but 

1  This  was  the  only  aurora  observed  by  us  during  our  entire  stay  in  the  Arctic 
regions  which  was  bright  enough  to  cast  a  shadow. 


THE   NEW    YEAR  IOQ 

found  them  completely  snowed  under.  In  places  the  snow- 
crust  is  hard  enough  to  bear  the  weight  of  the  body,  but 
oftener  one  sinks  in  six  or  eight  inches,  and  in  places  the  sur- 
face snow  has  drifted  considerably  deeper.  The  temperature 
is  about  —20°,  and  it  has  been  thick  and  dark  all  day.  Yes- 
terday Verhoeff  went  upon  the  cliffs  and  found  the  minimum 
thermometer  registering  only  —24°  as  the  lowest  for  the 
month,  while  at  Redcliffe  we  have  had  it  down  to  — 53°. 
Strange  that  on  the  hill-tops  it  should  be  so  much  warmer 
than  here  below. 

Tuesday,  February  2.  A  beautiful,  clear,  cold  day ;  tem- 
perature, —  35°.  We  now  have  daylight  from  ten  A.  M.  until 
three  P.  M.,  while  there  is  a  decided  twilight  from  nine  to  ten 
and  from  three  to  four.  We  were  inspected  in  daylight  by 
the  doctor,  and  we  all  show  the  effects  of  the  long  dark  night ; 
Mr.  Peary  and  Astrup,  being  the  two  fairest  ones  in  the  party, 
look  the  most  sallow.  We  walked  out  to  the  amphitheater 
berg  without  snow-shoes.  The  left-hand  column  at  the  en- 
trance to  the  theater  is  a  massive  pillar  of  ice,  like  the  whitest 
marble,  about  a  hundred  feet  high ;  inside  the  berg  the  snow 
was  very  deep.  The  right-hand  side  of  the  entrance  had  re- 
cently broken,  and  tons  of  the  splintered  ice  were  lying  around. 
We  saw  the  new  moon  one  quarter  full  for  the  first  time  over 
the  cliffs  to  the  north,  while  the  glow  from  the  setting  sun  to 
the  southwest  made  a  most  beautiful  picture ;  the  tops  of  the 
bergs  in  the  distance  were  completely  hidden  in  the  low  line 
of  mist  rising  from  the  cracks  in  the  ice,  which  gave  them 


IIO  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

the  appearance  of  long  flat  rocks  in  the  midst  of  the  snow- 
plain. 

Friday,  February  5.  This  morning  all  our  Eskimo  visitors 
left  us,  and  things  are  once  more  running  in  the  old  groove. 
I  have  not  been  out  for  several  days  in  consequence  of  a  sore 
toe.  I  have  finished  blanket  sleeves  for  all  the  sleeping-bags, 
and  yesterday  boiled  my  first  pudding.  To-night  about  eight 
o'clock  noises  were  heard  out  on  the  ice,  and  in  a  little  while 
Arrotochsuah  and  his  wife  arrived,  with  one  large  dog  and  one 
puppy.  They  were  very  much  fatigued,  having  been  five 
days  and  four  nights  on  their  way  over.  These  old  people 
seem  very  fond  of  each  other,  and  share  whatever  they  get. 
Their  food-supply  having  given  out,  they  are  on  their  way 
to  their  son's  igloo  at  Netchiolumy,  forty-five  miles  distant, 
whither  they  intend  to  travel  on  foot,  part  of  the  way  through 
snow  two  feet  deep.  The  woman,  seemingly  sixty  years  of 
age,  says  they  tumble  into  the  snow  every  few  steps,  but  up 
they  get  and  stagger  on,  and  in  this  way  they  make  the  trip 
with  packs  on  their  backs. 

Thursday,  February  1 1.  Just  seven  months  ago  to-day  Mr. 
Peary  broke  his  leg,  and  he  celebrated  the  event  by  taking  a 
ten-mile  tramp  on  the  bay  ice.  His  leg  did  not  trouble  him 
at  all,  and  did  not  swell  very  much.  To-day  we  have  been 
married  three  years  and  a  half.  It  seems  as  if  I  had  been 
away  from  home  as  long  as  that,  and  yet  it  was  only  eight 
months  on  the  6th  of  February  since  I  left  Washington. 

Saturday,  February   13.     We   are   making  preparations  to 


THE    NEW    YEAR  III 

witness  the  return  of  the  sun.  Gibson  and  Verhoeff  have 
erected  a  snow-house  on  the  ice-cap,  and  Mr.  Peary  has  in- 
vited us  all  to  accompany  him  to-morrow  to  the  summit,  and 
welcome  the  reappearing  luminary.  My  head  has  been  aching 
very  badly  all  day,  and  I  do  not  feel  in  condition  to  spend  the 
night  in  a  snow-hut,  so  I  shall  stay  at  home  and  keep  house. 
It  will  be  pleasant  to  exchange  the  strange  daylights  we  have 
been  having  for  weeks — daylights  without  a  sun — for  the 
vivifying  glow  of  direct  sunlight. 


CHAPTER   X 

SUNSHINE    AND    STORM 

Return  of  the  Sun  —  Furious  Storm  and  Inundation  at  Redcliffe  —  Repairing  the 
Damage  —  Verhoeff 's  Birthday  —  Fears  for  Dr.  Cook  and  Astrup  —  Rescue  of 
Jack — Battling  with  an  Arctic  Hurricane  —  Down  with  the  Grippe  —  Daz- 
zling March  Scenery  —  The  Commander  has  the  Grippe  —  Astrup  and  Gibson 
reconnoiter  after  Dogs  —  The  Widow  returns  a  Bride  —  The  Snow  begins  to 
Melt  —  Sunning  Babies  on  the  Roof. 

Sunday,  February  14.  At  home  this  is  St.  Valentine's  day. 
Here  it  is  simply  Sunday,  and  for  me  a  lonely  one.  This 
morning  Mr.  Peary,  Astrup,  and  Dr.  Cook  started  for  the 
mountain-top  with  their  sleeping-gear  and  provisions  for  two 
days.  The  day  has  been  misty,  cloudy,  and  rough.  At  six  A.  M. 
the  temperature  was  ii^°,  and  at  eight  it  was  33°,  with  the 
wind  blowing  a  gale  that  shook  the  doors  and  windows  of 
our  little  home  for  the  first  time  since  it  was  really  finished. 
At  eight  in  the  evening  the  mercury  had  fallen  one  degree, 
and  the  wind  was  blowing  in  gusts,  but  with  greater  force 
than  before.  I  am  worried  about  our  travelers.  Gibson  just 
brought  in  a  piece  of  ice  perfectly  wet  and  covered  with  wet 
snow,  which  shows  the  effect  of  the  high  temperature.  He 
says  he  can  hardly  stand  up  against  the  wind,  but  that  it  is 
warm,  almost  balmy.  Jack  came  to  the  door  and  whined 


SUNSHINE    AND    STORM  113 

piteously  to  be  let  in,  something  I  have  never  known  him  to 
do  before.      Now  at  10.45  it  is  raining  hard. 

Monday,  February  15.  What  a  wretched  twenty-four  hours 
the  past  have  been !  All  night  the  wind  blew  in  violent  gusts, 
sometimes  accompanied  by  wet  snow  and  sometimes  by  rain. 
This  morning  the  whole  place  appears  in  a  dilapidated  condi- 
tion. A  thaw  has  set  in,  and  the  water  is  running  in  every 
direction.  The  inmates  of  the  snow-igloo  were  forced  to  leave 
it,  and  to-night  one  could  read  through  its  walls,  the  action  of 
the  wind,  water,  and  temperature  has  worn  them  so  thin.  Part 
of  our  snow-wall  has  fallen,  or  rather  melted  down,  and  the 
water  is  pouring  down  the  sides  of  the  house  into  the  canvas- 
covered  passages,  soaking  everything.  The  thermometer  reads 
38°,  and  the  wind  still  blows,  while  it  continues  to  rain  and 
snow.  With  Matt's  assistance  I  have  moved  everything  out 
of  the  lean-to  back  of  the  house,  and  have  had  all  the  cutlery 
brought  in,  some  of  which  was  already  covered  with  rust.  At 
two  o'clock  the  water  began  to  come  in  under  my  back  door, 
and  then  Gibson,  who  has  the  night-watch,  and  therefore  the 
right  to  sleep  during  the  day,  got  up,  and  with  Matt  went  on 
the  roof  and  shoveled  the  snow  off  to  prevent  the  water  from 
leaking  into  the  house.  It  was  all  they  could  do  to  keep  from 
being  blown  down,  and  in  ten  minutes  both  were  drenched  to 
the  skin.  If  our  little  party  on  the  ice  have  this  wind  and 
rain,  I  do  not  see  what  they  can  do.  Their  snow-hut  will 
melt  over  them,  and  they  will  be  wet  and  cold,  while  in  such 
a  wind  it  will  be  impossible  to  venture  down  the  cliffs.  To- 


114  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

night  the  temperature  has  fallen  to  33°,  but  otherwise  things 
are  unchanged.  At  two  p.  M.  the  maximum  thermometer 
registered  41^2°.  This  temperature  will  hardly  be  equaled  at 
this  time  in  New  England. 

Tuesday,  February  16.  A  glorious  day  follows  thirty-six 
hours  of  violent  storm.  The  sun  shines  on  Cape  Robertson 
and  on  the  snow-covered  cliffs  east  of  Redcliffe  House.  I 
walked  down  to  Cape  Cleveland  with  Jack,  my  faithful  atten- 
dant. The  sun  had  just  gone  behind  the  black  cliffs  of  Her- 
bert Island,  and  the  glare  was  still 
so  bright  that  it  hurt  my  eyes  to 
look  at  it.  I  never  appreciated  the 
sunlight  so  much  before ;  involun- 
tarily it  made  me  feel  nearer  home. 
The  sky  was  beautifully  tinted — 
pink  and  blue  in  the  east,  light 

orange   in   the   south,   a  deep   yel- 
An  Arctic  Tot. 

low  and  crimson  in  the  northwest. 

Fleecy  clouds  tinged  with  rose  floated  overhead,  while  the  air 
was  calm  and  balmy.  How  thoroughly  I  should  have  enjoyed 
my  walk  amid  the  exquisitely  colored  surroundings  had  I 
known  how  it  fared  with  my  husband  on  the  ice  above! 
Reaching  the  house  at  1.45,  I  found  no  tidings  of  the  party, 
and  so  watched  and  waited,  until  at  last  a  lone  figure  rounded 
the  mile  point.  Although  I  could  not  see  anything  beyond 
a  dark  spot  on  the  ice  moving  toward  the  house,  I  knew  it 
must  be  Mr.  Peary,  for,  in  spite  of  his  long-forced  inactivity 


SUNSHINE   AND    STORM  115 

and  his  broken  leg,  he  still  outwalks  the  boys.  I  started  out 
with  Jack,  and  we  soon  met.  The  party  were  all  right,  but 
had  had  a  pretty  hard  time  of  it. 

Thursday,  February  18.  A  bright,  sunny  day.  We  have 
been  busy  rebuilding  the  snow  entrance  which  was  washed 
away  by  the  recent  thaw  and  rain.  This  completed,  Mr.  Peary 
got  out  his  "  ski  "  and  began  coasting  down  the  hill  back  of  the 
house.  Astrup  and  the  doctor  joined  in  the  sport,  and  even 
the  huskies  got  their  sleds  and  coasted  on  them.  I  spent  the 
time  in  taking  photographs  of  the  boys,  especially  in  their 
grotesque  tumbles. 

Friday,  February  19.  Another  cloudy  day;  it  seems  as  if 
the  sun  had  not  yet  become  accustomed  to  his  new  route  and 
forgets  us  every  other  day.  The  old  couple  started  for  Netchi- 
olumy  this  morning,  and  Ikwa  went  off  with  his  sledge  and 
our  mikkies  to  bait  fox-traps.  After  lunch  Astrup  and  the 
doctor  went  on  the  cliffs  to  build  three  cairns  from  Cape 
Cleveland  to  Three-Mile  Valley,  expecting  to  get  back  by 
supper-time.  At  six  o'clock  they  had  not  returned,  but  we 
were  not  alarmed,  and  put  their  supper  away  for  them.  About 
seven  Ikwa  came  in,  and  reported  that  while  passing  Cape 
Cleveland  he  had  heard  the  rumbling  of  a  snow-slide  down  the 
steep  sides  of  the  cliffs,  but  it  was  too  dark  for  him  to  see  any- 
thing. At  9. 1 5  the  old  couple  returned,  saying  the  snow  was 
too  deep  for  them  to  travel,  and  they  are  therefore  going  to 
stay  here  for  a  while.  The  truth  is,  they  like  it  here,  and 
think  they  had  better  let  well  enough  alone.  They  said  that 


Il6  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

in  passing  Cape  Cleveland  they  heard  Jack  bark  and  Dr.  Cook 
halloo  to  them.  This,  together  with  Ikwa's  story  of  the  snow- 
slide  and  the  non-appearance  of  the  boys,  made  us  think  that 
something  might  have  happened  to  them,  so  Mr.  Peary  and 
Gibson  started  for  the  Cape  at  once  (about  ten  P.  M.).  When 
they  reached  it  they  heard  Jack  whining,  crying,  and  barking 
by  turns,  and  on  going  around  the  Cape  they  found  quantities 
of  loose  snow  evidently  lately  brought  down  from  the  cliffs, 
and  in  the  middle  of  this  heap  a  snow-shoe !  Mr.  Peary  called 
and  called,  but  the  only  answer  received  was  Jack's  cry,  nor 
would  the  animal  come  down.  Mr.  Peary  at  once  started 
back  to  Redcliffe  on  almost  a  run — Gibson  had  all  he  could 
do  to  keep  up  with  him  —  intending  to  procure  ropes,  sledges, 
sleeping-bags,  alpenstocks,  lanterns,  etc.,  and  to  call  out  all 
the  men  in  the  settlement  in  order  to  begin  at  once  a  close 
search  of  the  almost  vertical  cliffs,  covered  with  ice  and  snow, 
where  Jack  was,  and  where  he  supposed  the  boys  might  also 
be,  perhaps  badly  bruised  and  mangled,  or  overcome  by  the 
cold.  In  the  meantime,  to  our  great  relief,  both  boys  appeared 
at  Redcliffe,  exhausted  and  hungry.  They  said  they  had 
reached  Cape  Cleveland  about  1.30  P.  M.  and  started  up  the 
cliff ;  it  was  very  steep  and  seemed  unsafe  for  about  one  third 
of  the  way,  but  after  that  it  appeared  to  be  easy  climbing. 
When,  however,  they  had  ascended  three  hundred  feet,  pro- 
gress became  increasingly  difficult,  the  course  being  over  round 
stones  covered  with  ice,  where  it  was  impossible  to  cut  steps. 
On  looking  down  they  found,  to  their  horror,  that  it  would  be 


MY    FAITHFUL   COMPANIONS,  "JACK"   AND   "FRANK. 


SUNSHINE    AND    STORM  1 1/ 

impossible  to  return,  the  cliff  being  too  steep  and  slippery. 
Here  Astrup  dropped  a  snow-shoe  —  Ikwa's  snow-slide  — 
which  he  had  been  using  to  punch  steps  in  the  snow  and  to 
scrape  places  among  the  icy  stones  for  a  foothold.  This  left 
them  only  the  one  which  the  doctor  was  using.  Further  pro- 
gress was  very  slow ;  they  knew  that  their  steps  had  to  be 
firm,  for  one  misstep  would  send  them  to  their  doom.  To  add 
to  their  difficulty  it  began  to  grow  dark,  about  four  P.  M.,  when 
they  were  not  more  than  half-way  up ;  poor  Jack  was  unable 
to  follow  them  any  longer  up  the  steep,  icy  wall,  and,  likewise 
unable  to  go  down,  he  began  to  howl  and  cry  piteously  at 
being  left.  The  howl  of  a  dog  under  the  most  favorable  cir- 
cumstances is  horrible.  To  the  boys  it  sounded  like  their 
death-knell.  They  heard  the  old  people  pass  along  the  bay, 
and  called  to  them.  Finally  they  reached  the  top,  and  then 
ran  along  to  Mile  Valley  above  the  house  and  came  down  it  to 
the  bay,  in  this  way  missing  Mr.  Peary. 

Sunday,  February  21.  Yesterday  we  made  an  unsuccessful 
effort  to  rescue  Jack,  and  this  morning  the  attempt  was  resumed 
by  Mr.  Peary  and  Dr.  Cook.  I  was  to  meet  them  at  noon  with 
lunch.  About  ten  o'clock  the  boys  reported  a  wind-storm 
down  at  Cape  Cleveland ;  the  snow  was  driving  off  the  cliffs 
in  thick  clouds,  and  the  whole  sky  became  black.  The  storm, 
however,  did  not  strike  Redcliffe,  but  passed  to  the  east,  and 
we  could  see  it  at  work  at  the  head  of  the  bay.  Believing  it 
to  be  over  at  the  Cape,  I  started  on  snow-shoes,  with  shotgun 
on  my  shoulder,  and  with  a  gripsack  containing  tea,  boiler, 


Il8  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

cups,  spoons,  alcohol-stove  and  alcohol,  potted  turkey  and 
biscuits,  and  sugar  and  milk.  On  turning  the  first  point  the 
wind  struck  me,  but,  thinking  it  was  only  a  squall  left  by  the 
recent  storm,  I  hastened  on  as  best  I  could.  Finally  I  left  the 
path  and  went  inshore,  but  could  not  see  where  I  stepped, 
and  was  blown  down  several  times.  I  relieved  myself  of  the 
snow-shoes  and  gun,  but  was  again  knocked  about  by  the 
wind,  and  had  my  breath  completely  taken  away  by  the  snow 
driving  in  my  face.  I  finally  met  Mr.  Peary  with  our  good 
dog  Jack,  and  we  reached  home  late  in  the  afternoon,  tired 
and  sore. 

Monday,  February  22.  Washington's  birthday;  grand- 
mother's birthday.  Our  dinner  consisted  of  venison  pie  with 
corn,  broiled  guillemot  breasts  and  green  peas,  chocolate,  and 
apple  pandowdy.  The  day  has  been  cloudy  and  misty. 

Sunday,  March  6.  I  am  recovering  from  an  attack  of  the 
grippe.  Tuesday,  February  23,  after  going  to  bed  I  had  a  chill, 
and  all  night  my  back  and  every  bone  in  my  body  ached.  In 
the  morning  my  aches  increased  and  I  was  in  a  fever.  Of 
course  Mr.  Peary  called  in  the  doctor,  and  between  them  they 
have  brought  me  round.  I  went  out  for  the  first  time  yester- 
day, Mr.  Peary  pushing  me  on  the  sledge  to  the  tide-gage, 
where  the  sun  was  shining  beautifully. 

Tuesday,  March  8.    Yesterday  was  a  bright,  cold  day.    Matt 

returned  from  a  four  days'  deer-hunt  at  the  head  of  the  bay, 

during  which  he  experienced  a  temperature  of  from  — 40°  to 

-  50°.      Gibson  has  had  everything  he  possesses  put  in  order 


SUNSHINE    AND    STORM  119 

for  a  hunt  with  Annowkah,  in  Five-Glacier  Valley.  He  took 
two  reindeer  sleeping-bags,  his  full  deerskin  suit,  a  sealskin 
suit,  heavy  woolen  shirts,  stockings  ad  libitum,  a  heavy  pair 
of  blankets,  a  tarpaulin,  and  sundry  small  articles,  besides  an 
Eskimo  lamp  and  blubber,  which  he  proposes  to  keep  burning 
in  the  igloo  all  the  time. 

Tuesday,  March  22.  The  last  two  weeks  have  been  entirely 
uneventful,  our  time  having  been  largely  occupied  in  prepara- 
tions for  various  hunting-trips  and  the  great  inland  journey 
—  the  fashioning  of  experimental  clothing,  making  of  sledges, 
etc.  The  temperature  has  been  steadily  rising,  but  we  have 
had  some  sharp  reminders  of  an  Arctic  winter's  force ;  on  the 
1 4th,  when  the  sun  shone  for  the  first  time  on  the  window  of 
our  room,  the  mercury  was  still  —35°.  The  landscape  is  now 
resplendent  in  its  glory,  but  the  beauties  of  the  snow-plain  are 
here  wasted  on  the  desert  air.  Day  before  yesterday  Mr. 
Peary  made  a  reconnoissance  of  the  ice-cap,  traveling  about 
twenty-two  miles,  and  reaching  an  elevation  of  3800  feet ;  his 
minimum  temperature  was  —32°  as  against  —25°  at  Redcliffe. 
To-morrow  he  intends  to  start  for  Netchiolumy. 

Sunday,  April  3.  The  past  week  has  been  a  long  and  anx- 
ious one  for  me.  Mr.  Peary's  indisposition  last  Sunday  turned 
out  to  be  an  attack  of  the  grippe,  and  for  two  days  he  was 
very  sick,  his  fever  running  up  to  103.8.  It  was  accompanied 
with  vomiting,  coughing,  and  violent  headache.  Tuesday 
night  his  temperature  went  down  to  normal,  and  he  felt  better 
but  weak,  and  this  weakness  he  fought  against  with  the  un- 


120 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


reasonableness  of  a  child.  Wednesday  he  said  he  would  start 
for  Netchiolumy,  in  spite  of  my  protestations,  telling  me  I  was 
childish  to  suppose  he  did  not  know  what  was  best  for  him ; 
and  not  until  the  doctor  told  him  that  there  was  danger  of 
pneumonia,  and  that  he  must  take  the  responsibility  if  he  per- 
sisted in  going,  did  he  reluctantly  yield.  Thursday  night  his 
temperature  began  to  rise  again  in  consequence  of  over- exer- 
tion. Friday  he  still  fought  against  lying  down  and  keeping 
quiet,  and  Saturday  and  Sunday  he  had  a  relapse,  his  fever 
reaching  102.2,  and  leaving  him  weaker  than  before.  I  have 
done  nothing  but  watch  over  him,  and  it  has  kept  me  busy 
day  and  night. 

The  weather  during  the  week  has  been  beautiful,  and  the 
sunshine  is  appreciated  by  us  more  and 
more  every  day. 

Yesterday,  late  in  the  evening,  two  men 
were  seen  coming  toward  the  house  from 
the  direction  of  Cape  Cleveland.  They 
proved  to  be  Kyo  and  Keshu,  the  Cape 
York  dudes.  They  said  quite  a  number  of 
people  were  in  a  deserted  igloo  on  Herbert 
Island  and  would  be  along  by  and  by.  It 
seems  our  former  visitor,  the  widow  Klayuh, 
whose  husband  was  drowned  while  har- 
pooning an  oogzook  seal  last  fall,  and  who 
stopped  here  with  her  three  children  on 
One  of  our  Visitors.  her  way  to  Cape  York  to  see  her  dying 


SUNSHINE    AND    STORM  121 

father,  has  consoled  herself  by  becoming  Kyo's  wife,  and  she  is 
among  those  who  are  to  come.  This  morning  both  Eskimos 
started  off  to  bring  their  friends,  together  with  their  sledges 
and  dogs,  over  to  Redcliffe.  As  Mr.  Peary  is  anxious  to  get 
some  dogs,  he  sent  Gibson  and  Astrup  to  follow  them  and  see 
that  they  brought  all  the  animals  with  them. 

Monday,  April  4.  About  two  o'clock  this  morning  our 
expected  visitors  arrived,  and  reported  that  they  had  seen 
nothing  of  Gibson  and  Astrup,  nor  of  Kyo  and  Keshu.  The 
arrivals  are  Klayuh  and  her  two  children — the  elder,  Tooky, 
apparently  a  young  lady  (as  she  has  her  beau  in  tow),  although 
they  give  her  age  as  only  twelve  suns ;  and  the  younger,  a 
girl  of  five  or  six  suns — Tooky's  admirer,  Kookoo,  Klayuh's 
stepmother,  a  widow  of  three  months,  with  her  small  child  on 
her  back,  and  her  beau  Ahko.  Not  knowing  that  her  hus- 
band was  dead,  and  in  order  to  say  something  to  her  when 
she  came  in  my  room,  I  asked  her  if  the  man  accompanying 
her  was  her  husband,  when,  to  my  surprise,  she  burst  into 
tears  and  sobbed  out  that  her  husband  was  dead.  I  began  to 
talk  in  a  sympathetic  manner,  when  she  suddenly  dried  her 
eyes  and  interrupted  me  with,  "  Utchow,  utchow,  mikky 
sungwa  Ahko  wenia  awanga  "  (wait,  wait  a  little  while,  and 
Ahko  will  be  my  husband).  This  forenoon  another  couple 
arrived,  both  rather  youthful  in  appearance,  and  the  woman 
quite  small ;  they  too  had  seen  nothing  of  the  boys.  Just  as 
we  were  through  with  dinner  Astrup  came  in  and  said  Gibson 
was  coming  with  Kyo  and  Keshu  and  eight  dogs ;  in  about 


122  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

an  hour  and  a  half  they  arrived.  After  dinner  I  helped  Mr. 
Peary  reload  one  of  his  cameras,  and  in  this  operation  I  could 
see  how  nervous  he  still  is.  For  the  first  time  since  I  have 
known  him  he  has  the  blues,  and  pretty  badly  at  that.  He  has 
lost  confidence  in  himself,  and  is  harder  to  nurse  than  after 
his  accident  on  board  of  the  "  Kite."  However,  he  insisted  on 
photographing  and  measuring  all  the  newcomers,  and  this  kept 
us  up  until  nearly  two  o'clock — Mr.  Peary  photographing,  the 
doctor  measuring,  and  I  recording.  I  saw  that  he  was  very 
much  exhausted,  and  I  gave  him  his  salt-water  sponge-bath 
under  the  blankets,  after  which  he  slept  well,  something  he 
has  not  done  of  late. 

Wednesday,  April  6.  Yesterday  the  sun  was  warm  enough 
to  melt  the  snow  on  top  of  the  house,  and  I  put  my  eiderdown 
pillows  out  for  an  airing.  To-day  has  been  so  lovely  that  the 
women  took  their  sewing  on  top  of  the  house,  where  they  also 
took  their  babies,  stripped  them,  and  placed  them  on  a  deer- 
skin, allowing  the  sun  to  beat  upon  them.  The  little  ones 
crowed  and  seemed  to  enjoy  it  hugely.  In  company  with 
Astrup  and  Annowkah  Mr.  Peary  sledged  across  to  Herbert 
Island  to  get  some  blubber  for  Annowkah's  family  that  had 
been  cached  there  last  summer.  He  got  back  at  midnight 
and  looked  very  tired,  having  walked  at  least  twenty-five 
miles,  but  he  is  in  better  spirits,  and  I  hope  the  trip  will  bene- 
fit him  in  spite  of  his  fatigue.  During  his  absence  I  thawed, 
scrubbed,  cut  up,  and  tried  out  twenty-five  pounds  of  bacon, 
getting  twelve  pounds  of  clear  fat;  I  also  cut  up  and  tried 
out  four  pounds  of  toodnoo  (venison  tallow),  which  gave  me 


SUNSHINE    AND    STORM  123 

two  and  a  half  pounds  of  grease.  This  is  to  be  utilized  in  the 
lunches  for  the  advance  party.  It  took  me  about  eight  hours 
to  do  all  this. 

Saturday,  April  9.  This  morning  we  found  the  doctor  down 
with  the  grippe.  Poor  fellow,  I  am  afraid  he  will  have  a  hard 
time  of  it.  The  boys  have  no  consideration  for  the  sick,  and  he 
is  right  out  in  the  noise  and  turmoil  all  the  time.  At  eleven  A.  M. 
Mr.  Peary  started  with  his  six  best  dogs  and  Keshu  for  Her- 
bert Island  to  bring  back  some  seals  cached  there  for  dog- 
food.  He  rode  the  whole  distance  over,  which,  measured  by 
the  odometer,  was  14.06  miles.  During  his  absence  I  worked 
on  canvas-bags  for  various  instruments  and  on  cording  the 
sails  intended  for  our  sledges.  At  11.30  P.  M.,  it  being  day- 
light throughout  the  twenty-four  hours,  I  started  to  meet  Mr. 
Peary,  but  had  only  walked  half  a  mile  when  I  saw  him  com- 
ing. The  day  has  been,  as  usual,  fine ;  temperature  ranging 
from  — 9°  to  — 22°.  We  have  now  a  team  of  ten  good  dogs, 
a  very  cheering  sight  for  us.  Mr.  Peary  feels  confident  that  he 
will  get  more,  and  this  means  assured  success  on  the  inland  ice. 


CHAPTER   XI 

SLEDGE  JOURNEY   INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF 

The  Start  from  Redcliffe  —  Our  Team  —  Temporary  Village  on  Northumberland 
Island  —  A  Crazy  Woman  —  A  Never-to-be-forgotten  Night  in  a  Native  Snow- 
igloo —  From  the  Snow-village  to  Keati —  Across  Whale  Sound  to  Netchiolumy 
—  An  Eskimo  Metropolis — Aged  Dames  —  From  Netchiolumy  to  Ittiblu  — 
Midnight  Glories — The  Solitary  Habitation  at  Ittiblu  and  its  Inhabitants  —  My 
Coldest  Sleep  in  Greenland  —  Nauyahleah,  the  Ancient  Gossip  —  A  Native 
Graveyard  —  From  Ittiblu  to  the  Head  of  Inglefield  Gulf — Meeting  with  a 
Traveling-party. 

Monday,  April  18.  Having  completed  our  arrangements 
for  a  week's  exploration  of  Inglefield  Gulf,  we  started  from 
Redcliffe  about  noon  with  the  large  dog-sledge,  drawn  by  six 
dogs  and  driven  by  Kyo. 

The  day  was  very  bright,  and  the  sun  shone  warm  all  the 
time.  The  traveling  as  far  as  Cape  Cleveland  was  good,  but 
then  it  began  to  grow  heavy,  and  before  we  had  gone  half- 
way across  there  were  places  where  the  dogs  sank  in  to  their 
bellies  and  almost  swam,  while  we  sank  down  to  our  knees  in 
a  semi-slush ;  the  sledges,  however,  went  along  nicely.  For- 
tunately, there  were  only  a  few  such  places,  and  as  we  got 
near  the  west  end  of  Herbert  Island  the  ice  became  smoother 
and  harder,  and  the  dogs  sped  along,  two  of  us  riding  at  a 
time,  and  sometimes  all  three. 

124 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  125 

Our  sledge  reached  the  west  end  of  Herbert  Island  at  eight 
o'clock,  and  two  hours  later,  having  crossed  over  to  Northum- 
berland Island,  we  came  upon  a  cantonment  of  four  snow- 
igloos.  These  were  occupied  by  families  from  different  settle- 
ments, who  congregated  here  to  be  near  a  patch  of  open  water 
a  short  distance  off,  where  they  caught  seal.  The  largest 
snow-igloo  was  occupied  by  Tahtara,  his  wife,  his  father  and 
mother,  and  some  small  children.  This  was  put  at  our  dis- 
posal ;  another  was  occupied  by  Ikwa  and  family,  together 
with  Kyoshu  and  his  son,  while  Myah  and  his  wife  were  ac- 
commodated in  a  third.  The  mistress  of  the  remaining  igloo 
was  making  an  awful  noise  and  trying  to  come  out  of  her 
habitation,  while  a  man  was  holding  her  back  and  talking  to 
her,  but  she  screamed  and  struggled  so  long  as  we  remained 
where  she  could  see  us.  I  asked  Mane  what  was  the  nature 
of  the  trouble,  and  she  told  me  that  the  woman  was  pi-bloc- 
to  (mad). 

As  the  wind  was  blowing  fiercely  and  the  air  was  thick  with 
drifting  snow,  Mr.  Peary  urged  me  to  come  into  the  igloo, 
which  I  did,  rather  to  please  him  than  to  get  out  of  the  storm. 
Now  as  long  as  I  have  been  in  this  country  I  have  never  en- 
tered an  Eskimo  hut ;  hearing  about  the  filth  and  vermin  was 
quite  enough  for  me.  But  Mr.  Peary  said  the  snow-house 
was  much  cleaner,  etc.,  etc.,  and  seeing  that  it  really  made 
him  uncomfortable  to  have  me  stay  outside,  I  yielded.  Can  I 
ever  describe  it?  First  I  crawled  through  a  hole  and  along 
a  passage,  about  six  feet,  on  my  hands  and  knees ;  this  was 


126  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

level  with  the  snow  outside.  Then  I  came  to  a  hole  at  the 
end  of  the  passage  and  in  the  top  of  it,  which  seemed  hardly 
large  enough  for  me  to  get  my  head  through,  and  through 
which  I  could  see  numberless  legs.  Mr.  Peary  called  for  me 
to  come,  so  the  legs  moved  to  one  side  and  I  wedged  myself 
into  the  aperture  and  climbed  into  a  circular  place  about  five 
feet  high,  the  floor  of  which,  all  of  snow,  was  about  two  feet 
higher  than  that  of  the  tunnel.  A  platform  one  and  a  half 
feet  above  this  floor,  and  perhaps  four  feet  wide  in  the  middle 
and  two  and  a  half  feet  at  the  sides,  ran  all  around  the  walls 
of  the  igloo,  except  that  part  in  which  the  aperture  or  door 
came  up  in  the  floor.  The  middle  of  this  platform  for  about 
five  feet  was  the  bed,  and  it  was  covered  with  two  or  three 
tooktoo  skins,  which  almost  crawled  away,  they  were  so  very 
much  alive.  On  this  bed  sat  Tahtara's  mother,  tailor-fashion, 
with  a  child  on  her  back ;  another  woman,  younger  by  far, 
and  rather  pretty,  his  wife ;  and  two  children,  about  six  and 
eight  years  old ;  and  on  the  edge,  with  his  feet  resting  on  a 
chunk  of  walrus,  from  which  some  hungry  ones  helped  them- 
selves whenever  they  wanted  to,  regardless  of  the  fact  that  a 
number  of  feet  had  been  wiped  on  it,  and  that  it  was  not  only 
frozen  solid  but  perfectly  raw,  sat  Tahtara  himself,  smiling  and 
saying,  "  Yess,  yess,"  to  everything  that  Mr.  Peary  said  to 
him.  Mr.  Peary  had  also  taken  a  seat  on  the  edge  of  this 
bed,  and  the  women  immediately  made  room  for  me  between 
them ;  but  this  was  more  than  I  could  submit  to,  so,  excusing 
myself  by  saying  that  my  clothing  was  wet  from  the  drifting 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY   INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  127 

snow  and  that  I  could  not  think  of  getting  their  bedding  wet, 
I  sat  down,  not  without  a  shiver,  on  the  edge  beside  Mr. 
Peary,  selfishly  keeping  him  between  the  half-naked  women 
and  myself. 

The  sides  of  this  platform  on  either  side  of  the  doorway 
were  devoted  to  two  ikkimers  (stoves),  one  of  which  was 
tended  by  Tahtara's  mother  and  the  other  by  his  wife.  These 
stoves  were  very  large  and  filled  with  chunks  of  blubber ;  over 
each  hung  a  pan,  made  of  soapstone,  containing  snow  and 
water,  and  above  these  pans  were  racks  or  crates,  fastened  very 
securely,  on  which  the  inmates  flung  their  wet  kamiks,  stock- 
ings, mittens,  and  birdskin  shirts.  The  drippings  of  dirt, 
water,  and  insects  fell  invariably  into  the  drinking-water.  I 
say  "  drinking-water " ;  they  have  no  water  for  any  other 
purpose.  Mr.  Peary  had  put  our  Florence  oil-stove  on  the 
side  platform  and  was  heating  water  for  our  tea.  Fortunately 
our  teapot  had  a  cover  on  it,  which  I  made  my  business  to 
keep  closed. 

Besides  the  persons  mentioned  there  were  always  as  many 
husky  visitors  as  could  possibly  pack  in  without  standing 
on  one  another.  These  took  turns  with  those  unable  to  get 
in,  so  that  after  one  had  been  in  a  while  and  gazed  at  the 
circus,  he  would  lower  himself  through  the  trap  and  make  way 
for  a  successor  among  the  many  crouching  in  the  passageway 
behind  him.  This  was  kept  up  throughout  the  night.  Of 
course  the  addition  of  our  stove,  together  with  the  visitors, 
brought  the  temperature  up  rapidly,  and  to  my  dismay  the 


128  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Eskimo  ladies  belonging  to  the  house  took  off  all  of  their 
clothing  except  their  necklaces  of  sinishaw,  just  as  uncon- 
cernedly as  though  no  one  were  present. 

The  odor  of  the  place  was  indescribable.  Our  stove  did 
not  work  properly  and  gave  forth  a  pungent  smell  of  kero- 
sene ;  the  blubber  in  the  other  stoves  sizzled  and  sometimes 
smoked;  and  the  huskies — well,  suffice  it  to  say  that  was  a 
decidedly  unpleasant  atmosphere  in  which  I  spent  the  night. 

I  soon  found  that  if  I  kept  my  feet  on  the  floor  they  would 
freeze,  and  the  only  way  I  could  keep  them  off  the  floor  was 
to  draw  up  my  knees  and  rest  the  side  of  one  foot  on  the  edge 
of  the  platform  and  place  the  other  upon  it.  In  this  way,  and 
leaning  on  my  elbow,  I  sat  from  ten  at  night  until  ten  in  the 
morning,  dressed  just  as  I  was  on  the  sledge.  I  made  the 
best  of  the  situation,  and  pretended  to  Mr.  Peary  that  it  was 
quite  a  lark. 

Mr.  Peary  went  out  to  look  after  the  dogs  several  times 
during  the  night,  and  each  time  reported  that  the  wind  was 
still  blowing  fiercely  and  the  snow  drifting.  In  the  morning 
the  wind  had  subsided  somewhat,  and  after  coffee  the  dogs 
were  hitched,  and  we  resumed  our  journey,  heading  for  Keati. 

After  traveling  about  an  hour  we  came  upon  a  single  stone 
igloo,  which  proved  to  be  Nipzangwa's ;  he  and  his  father,  old 
Kulutunah,  immediately  came  out  to  meet  us.  We  reached 
Keati,  the  inhabitants  of  which  had  been  apprised  in  advance 
of  our  coming  by  special  messenger,  about  noon,  and  an  hour 
later,  reinforced  with  additional  dogs,  started  across  the  Sound 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF 


129 


for  the  settlement  on  Barden  Bay  (Netchiolumy).  Ikwa  fol- 
lowed with  his  dogs  and  sledge.  The  traveling  was  fine,  and 
the  dogs  took  our  sledge,  with  all  three  of  us  riding,  along 
at  a  trot  all  the  way.  We  arrived  at  our  destination  about 
six  P.  M.,  the  odometer  registering  14.4  miles  from  Keati. 

Here  we  found  a  great  many  natives,  probably  sixty,  most 
of  whom  we  had  already  seen  at  Redcliffe  during  the  winter. 


-v          "x  ^  t...    T          ?         '."        .'.'        '» 


Map  of  Whale  Sound  and  Inglefield  Gulf. 

In  addition  to  the  regular  inhabitants  of  the  place  there  were  a 
half-dozen  families  from  Cape  York  and  its  vicinity,  who  were 
stopping  in  snow-igloos  on  their  way  home  from  Redcliffe. 
The  winter  is  their  visiting  time,  and  only  during  this  season 
do  the  inhabitants  of  one  place  see  those  of  another;  they 
travel  for  miles  and  miles  over  the  ice,  some  with  dogs  and 


130  MY   AR^ 

some  without,  but  there  is  invariably  at  least  one  sledge  with 
every  party.  This  year  the  travel  has  been  unusually  brisk, 
owing  to  the  American  settlement,  which  all  were  anxious  to 
visit.  Where  a  family  has  a  sledge  and  two  or  three  dogs, 
they  load  it  with  a  piece  of  raw  walrus  or  seal  (enough  to  last 
them  from  one  village  to  the  next),  anything  and  everything 
that  can  be  scraped  together  for  trade,  one  or  two  deerskins 
for  bedding,  and  the  smallest  child  that  has  outgrown  the 
mother's  hood.  The  rest  of  the  family  then  take  turns  in  rid- 
ing, one  at  a  time,  while  two  push  the  sledge. 

On  our  arrival  at  the  igloos  we  were  immediately  sur- 
rounded by  the  natives ;  two  very  old  women  in  particular 
were  led  to  me,  and  one  of  them,  putting  her  face  close  to 
mine — much  closer  than  I  relished — scrutinized  me  carefully 
from  head  to  foot,  and  then  said  slowly,  "  Uwanga  sukinuts 
amissuare,  koona  immartu  ibly  takoo  nahme,"  which  means, 
"  I  have  lived  a  great  many  suns,  but  have  never  seen  any- 
thing like  you." 

We  had  brought  our  things  up  to  the  igloos  and  intended 
to  get  our  supper  on  the  hill,  but  the  native  odor,  together 
with  that  of  passe  pussy  (seal)  and  awick  (walrus)  lying  about, 
was  too  strong,  and  I  suggested  that  we  return  to  the  sledge. 
The  two  old  women  who  first  greeted  us,  despite  the  fact  that 
they  could  not  walk  alone,  were  determined  to  accompany  us, 
and  they  were  helped  down  the  hill  to  the  sledge.  They 
looked  as  old  and  feeble  as  women  at  home  do  between  eighty 
ind  eighty-five.  Never  having  seen  such  a  sight,  they  could 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  131 

not  let  the  chance  go  by,  even  at  the  expense  of  their  little 
strength.  Not  being  able  to  carry  everything  in  one  trip,  I 
went  back  for  the  rest,  preferring  this  to  staying  with  the 
sledge,  where  the  natives  were  now  swarming,  and  wanting 
to  handle  everything  they  saw.  When  I  came  to  the  igloos 
again,  Annowee,  a  Cape  York  woman,  who  had  lately  been  to 
Redcliffe,  began  to  beg  me  not  to  go  down,  but  to  have 
Mr.  Peary  come  up  to  her;  she  had  "  ah-ah  "  (pain)  in  her 
knees  and  could  not  possibly  make  the  descent.  She  wanted 
to  see  us  as  long  as  she  could,  as  she  would  never  see  our 
like  again.  All  this  time  she  was  not  only  talking  loudly, 
but  clutching  at  my  arm  whenever  I  turned  to  go,  and  when 
I  said,  "  Utchow,  utchow,  wanga  tigalay  "  (just  wait,  I  am 
coming  back),  she  said,  "  Peeuk,"  but  did  not  want  me  to 
take  the  things  down  for  fear  I  should  not  come  back.  The 
other  women  now  closed  about  me,  and  all  begged  me  to  stay. 
Mr.  Peary,  who  remained  with  the  sledge,  was  somewhat  dis- 
turbed by  my  position,  but  it  was  all  done  in  kindly  feeling. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  Annowee  "  could  not  come  down," 
she  was  at  the  sledge  almost  as  soon  as  I  was. 

We  took  our  supper,  after  which  we  bartered  for  tanned 
oogzook-sinishaw  (seal-thong),  sealskins,  bearskin  trousers, 
and  two  dogs.  Old  Ahnahna  gave  me  a  scolding  for  the  bene- 
fit of  her  companions  because  I  would  not  give  her  a  needle ; 
she  said  Mr.  Peary  was  "  peudiochsoa  "  (very  good)  but  "  Mit- 
tie  "  Peary  was  "  peeuk  nahme  " — that  I  used  to  give  her  nee- 
dles, but  now  I  would  not  do  it,  etc.  While  saying  this  she 


132  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

was  laughing  all  the  time,  and  when  I  gave  her  a  cup  of  tea 
and  a  cracker  she  changed  her  opinion  of  me  at  once. 

Mr.  Peary  walked  to  the  Tyndall  Glacier  and  took  photos  of 
it,  and  of  the  village  and  the  natives.  Kyo  then  hitched  up 
the  dogs,  we  said  good-by  all  around,  Ikwa  included,  and  at 
eight  o'clock  left  for  Ittiblu. 

To  show  how  sharp  these  semi- savages  are,  I  may  mention 
the  following  incident :  On  the  way  from  Keati  to  Netchiolu- 
my  we  dropped  at  different  times  three  snow-shoes  from  our 
sledge,  but  seeing  Ikwa  behind  us  pick  them  up,  we  did  not 
stop  for  them.  On  reaching  Netchiolumy  he  brought  them  to 
us,  and  said  they  were  fine  for  us,  were  they  not  ?  We  said  yes. 
"  Well,"  he  said,  "  if  I  had  not  picked  them  up  you  would  not 
have  them,  and  as  my  eyes  hurt  me  very  much,  and  I  see  you 
have  them  to  spare,  you  should  give  me  a  pair  of  smoked 
glasses."  I  thought  so  too,  and  he  got  what  he  asked  for. 

We  had  the  perfection  of  traveling.  The  surface  of  Whale 
Sound  was  just  rough  enough  to  prevent  it  from  being  slip- 
pery, and  yet  so  smooth  that  the  sledge  went  along  as  if  it 
were  running  on  a  track. 

Mr.  Peary,  Kyo,  the  driver,  and  myself  were  all  three  seated 
upon  the  sledge,  which  in  addition  was  heavily  laden  with 
our  sleeping-bags,  equipment,  provisions,  etc.,  and  yet  the  nine 
handsome  creatures,  picked  dogs  of  the  tribe,  who  were  pull- 
ing us,  immediately  broke  into  a  run,  and,  with  tails  waving 
like  plumes  over  their  backs,  kept  up  a  brisk  gait  until  we 
reached  Ittiblu  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning ;  the  odometer 


SLEDGE  JOURNEY   INTO   INGLEFIELD   GULF  133 

registered  21.94  miles.  The  night  was  a  beautiful  one.  The 
sun  shone  brightly  until  near  midnight,  when  it  went  down 
like  a  ball  of  fire,  tinging  the  sky  with  crimson,  purple,  and 
yellow  lights,  which  gradually  faded  out  and  left  a  dull  gray- 
ish blue,  which  in  turn  changed  to  a  gray  just  dark  enough  to 
show  us  the  numberless  stars  that  studded  the  firmament. 
When  we  reached  Ittiblu  the  sun  came  up  from  behind  the 
dark  cliffs  of  the  eastern  shore  of  Inglefield  Gulf.  We  had 
been  traveling  sixteen  hours,  and  were  pretty  well  tired  out. 
Our  dogs,  too,  were  glad  to  have  a  meal  and  rest. 

We  immediately  set  to  work  to  build  a  snow-igloo  of  our 
own,  on  the  icy  floor  of  which  we  placed  our  sleeping-bags 

and   everything  that 

•%& 
we     did     not     wish 

handled    by   the    in- 

habitants  of  the  set-  * 

tlement.     While  still  f 

at  work   on   this   we 

were  visited  by  two 

y 
residents,    Panikpah,         -.' 

a    former    visitor    at 

Redcliffe,   and   Koo-  Our  Snow-igloo. 

menahpik,  his  father ; 

they  showed  a  true  native  hospitality  by  asking  us  to  share 

the  comforts  of  their  igloo — an  invitation,  however,  which  we 

politely  declined. 

Our  igloo  proved   icy  cold,  and  I  shall   never  forget  the 


134  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

difference  of  temperature  between  inside  and  outside.  It  was 
just  like  going  from  a  cellar  into  a  temperature  of  90°,  and  we 
resolved  that  unless  it  was  storming  we  would  in  future  sleep 
without  shelter.  Among  our  breakfast  callers  was  the  wife  of 
Koomenahpik,  Nauyahleah,  the  most  comical  old  soul  I  had 
yet  seen.  She  evidently  felt  it  her  duty  to  entertain  me,  and 
began  to  tell  me  all  about  herself  and  her  family ;  she  let  me 
know  that  I  had  already  seen  one  of  her  sons  at  Redcliffe, 
whose  name  is  Tawanah,  and  who  lives  still  farther  up  Ingle- 
field  Gulf;  he  had  stopped  at  Ittiblu,  she  said,  on  his  return 
from  the  Peary  igloo,  and  told  her  what  a  large  koona  Peary's 
koona  was,  and  how  white  her  skin  was,  and  that  her  hair  was 
as  long  as  she  could  stretch  with  her  arms.  She  followed 
us  wherever  we  went,  and  chatted  incessantly  —  whether  we 
were  taking  photographs  or  making  observations  for  latitude 
and  time,  it  made  no  difference  to  her.  If  we  did  not  answer 
her  she  would  sing  at  the  top  of  her  voice  for  a  few  minutes, 
and  then  chatter  again.  She  showed  us  a  number  of  graves, 
which  are  nothing  but  mounds  of  stones  piled  on  the  dead 
bodies,  and  told  us  who  lay  beneath  the  rocks. 

At  eight  in  the  evening  we  left  Ittiblu,  with  four  additional 
dogs  obtained  from  Panikpah.  All  night  long  we  dashed  on 
r  over  the  smooth  surface  of  Whale  Sound,  except  where  we 
passed  Academy  Bay.  Here  from  one  cape  to  the  other 
the  snow  was  soft  and  several  inches  deep.  Again  the  sun 
only  left  us  for  a  short  time,  and  in  spite  of  a  temperature 
°f  ~35°>  tne  "de  was  a  delightful  one. 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  135 

About  two  A.  M.  we  were  abreast  of  another  beautiful 
glacier,  a  great  river  of  ice  slowly  making  its  way  from  the 
eternal  inland  ice  to  the  sea.  The  smooth  and  even  appearance 
of  all  the  glaciers,  Mr.  Peary  told  me,  was  due  to  the  blanket 
of  snow  which  covered  them. 

It  took  us  about  an  hour  to  pass  the  face  of  the  ice-sheet, 
which  in  places  towered  above  us  to  a  height  of  one  hundred 
feet  and  more.  As  we  rounded  the  southwest  corner  Kyo 
sang  out,  "  Inuits,  Inuits,"  and,  looking  ahead,  we  saw  an 
Eskimo  snow-igloo  built  up  against  the  rocks  on  the  shore. 
Scattered  about  on  the  ice-foot  lay  about  a  dozen  seals,  some 
whole,  and  some  partially  cut  up ;  three  or  four  young  white 
seals,  a  number  of  sealskins,  a  large  sledge  and  a  small  toy- 
sledge  patterned  exactly  like  the  large  one,  and  coils  of  seal- 
skin and  walrus  lines.  In  the  "  tochsoo,"  or  entrance  to  the 
igloo,  was  tied  a  young  dog,  who  had  no  idea  of  awakening 
his  master,  for  he  only  looked  at  us  and  gave  no  sound. 

In  response  to  Kyo's  shouts  a  man  came  slowly  crawling 
out,  rubbing  his  eyes,  and  showing  every  evidence  of  having 
been  suddenly  awakened  out  of  a  sound  sleep.  This  proved 
to  be  Kudlah,  a  young  native  whose  home  was  at  the  head  of 
Inglefield  Gulf,  and  who  on  a  visit  to  Redcliffe  during  the 
winter  had  been  nicknamed  by  our  boys  "  Misfortune."  Kud- 
lah had  a  hang-dog  sort  of  expression.  We  were  told  that  a 
woman  would  only  live  with  him  a  year  and  then  leave  him, 
it  being  the  privilege  of  the  Eskimo  maiden  to  return  to  her 
parents'  roof  at  the  end  of  a  year,  provided  there  is  no  family, 


136  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

if  she  finds  that  she  has  made  a  mistake.  "  Misfortune  "  had 
grown  very  fond  of  the  "  kabloonah's  kapah  "  (white  man's 
food),  especially  coffee  and  crackers,  during  his  visit  at  Red- 
cliffe,  and  he  now  came  right  to  our  sledge  and  asked  if  we 
had  no  "  kapah  "  for  him.  He  told  us  that  he,  with  his  wife, 
and  Tawanah  with  his  wife,  a  son  twelve  years  of  age,  and 
three  smaller  children,  were  on  their  way  to  Redcliffe.  They 
had  left  their  home,  Nunatochsoah,  at  the  head  of  Inglefield 
Gulf,  two  days  before,  and  had  walked  all  day  and  until  mid- 
night, when  they  built  the  snow-house  and  camped.  The 
women  and  children  being  very  tired,  and  seal-holes,  whence 
young  seals  are  procured,  being  plentiful  in  this  neighborhood, 
they  decided  to  rest  a  few  days  and  hunt  seal.  I  asked  him 
where  they  found  the  pretty  little  white  creatures,  and  he  told 
me  that  the  mother  seal  crawls  out  on  the  ice  through  the 
cracks  and  hollows  out  a  place  for  herself  under  the  snow,  not 
disturbing  the  surface  at  all,  except  perhaps  by  raising  it  a 
little,  and  thus  giving  it  the  appearance  of  a  snow-drift  or 
mound.  Here  she  gives  birth  to  her  young,  and  stays  with 
them  until  they  are  old  enough  to  take  to  the  water,  leaving 
them  only  long  enough  to  get  food  for  herself. 

To  me  these  mounds  did  not  seem  different  in  appearance 
from  the  ordinary  snow-mound,  but  the  trained  eye  of  the 
native  immediately  distinguishes  the  "  pussy  igloo "  (seal- 
house)  ;  he  walks  softly  up  to  it,  and  puts  his  ear  close  to  the 
snow  and  listens.  If  he  hears  any  sign  of  life  he  jumps  on  the 
mound  as  hard  as  he  can,  until  it  caves  in,  and  then,  with  a 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  137 

kick  in  the  head,  he  dispatches  the  young  one.  Then  he  lies 
in  wait  for  the  mother  seal  to  return  to  her  young,  when  she 
is  promptly  harpooned. 

While  Kudlah  was  entertaining  us,  Tawanah  and  the  two 
women  came  out  of  the  igloo.  The  latter  were  very  much 
interested  in  me,  and  wanted  to  know  if  there  were  any  more 
women  like  me  at  Redcliffe.  When  told  that  there  were  not, 
but  that  they  were  plentiful  in  the  American  country,  they 
asked,  "Are  they  all  so  tall,  and  so  white,  and  have  they  all 
such  long  hair?  We  never  have  seen  women  like  you." 

Our  driver  had  been  refreshing  himself  with  seal  and  blub- 
ber, and  Mr.  Peary  now  called  to  him  to  untangle  the  dogs,  as 
we  wished  to  continue  our  journey.  This  he  did  not  like,  and 
said  the  people  were  all  gone,  and  there  was  no  use  in  going 
any  farther  up  the  gulf.  The  snow,  he  said,  was  very  deep, 
and  the  dogs  would  not  be  able  to  pull  the  load ;  but  Mr. 
Peary  was  firm  in  his  decision  to  push  on  to  the  head  of  the 
gulf,  if  possible,  in  order  to  complete  his  surveys.  Accord- 
ingly, at  four  A.  M.  we  started  again,  and  to  our  surprise  Kud- 
lah and  Tawanah  accompanied  us.  When  questioned  as  to 
their  destination,  Tawanah  said  they  had  a  lot  of  sealskins 
and  young  seals  at  Nanatochsuahmy  which  he  wanted  to  give 
Mr.  Peary,  and  they  were  going  as  far  as  his  igloo  with  us. 

In  about  three  hours  we  came  to  a  small  island,  and  here 
we  pitched  camp.  After  a  hearty  supper  of  Boston  baked 
beans,  corned  beef,  and  stewed  tomatoes,  with  tea  and  crackers, 
we  turned  in,  and  what  a  delightful  sleep  we  had !  The  sun 


138 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


shone  warm,  and  that  peculiar  stillness  which  is  found  only  in 
the  Arctic  regions  was  conducive  to  long  sleep. 

After  supper  we  explored  the  little  island  and  found  the 
plateau  covered  with  the  tracks  of  deer  and  ptarmigan,  but 
we  could  descry  no  living  creature.  The  view  from  the  sum- 
mit was  very  fine.  We  could  see  down  the  sound  as  far  as 

Herbert  Island,  and 
almost  up  to  the  head 

N. 

of  Inglefield  Gulf ;  on 
the  right  the  eye  took 
in  the  greater  part  of 
Academy  Bay,  and 
on  the  left  in  the  dis- 
tance towered  Mts. 
Putnam,  Daly,  and 
Adams. 

Arriving  at  Nuna- 
tochsoah,  we  spent 
about  an  hour  in  skir- 
mishing about  the 
place,  Tawanah  taking  us  to  various  caches  containing  seal- 
skins, both  tanned  and  untanned,  and  two  caches  containing 
young  seals,  about  twenty-two  in  all.  Kudlah,  too,  had  a  few 
seals  and  skins,  and  both  men  were  anxious  to  barter  their 
possessions  with  Mr.  Peary  for  a  knife  and  a  saw. 


Mount  Daly. 


CHAPTER   XII 
THE  SLEDGE  JOURNEY — (Continued) 

From  Tawanah's  Igloo  to  the  Great  Heilprin  Glacier  —  The  Little  Matterhorn  — 
A  Wet  Night  —  Ptarmigan  Island  — '  'As  the  Crow  flies  "  for  the  Eastern  Bastion 
of  Herbert  Island  —  A  Nap  in  the  Sunshine  —  Back  at  Redcliffe  —  A  Busy  Week 
of  Preparation  for  the  Start  on  the  Inland  Ice  —  Canine  Rivals. 

We  unloaded  our  sledge,  and,  with  Kudlah  as  our  driver, 
continued  the  exploration  of  Inglefield  Gulf  to  its  head.  In 
spite  of  Kudlah's  having  spent  the  entire  time  at  Tawanah's 
in  eating  seal,  we  had  scarcely  traveled  a  mile  before  he  said 
he  was  hungry  for  American  kapah.  When  told  it  was  not 
yet  time,  he  turned  his  attention  to  the  dogs  again,  but  soon 
we  saw  that  the  dogs  were  having  a  go-as-you-please  time, 
and  on  looking  to  the  driver  for  the  reason  we  found  him  sit- 
ting bolt- upright  and  fast  asleep.  We  woke  him,  and  to  keep 
him  awake  I  gave  him  some  crackers  to  eat.  They  had  the 
desired  effect  as  long  as  they  lasted,  but  as  soon  as  they  had 
disappeared  off  he  went  to  sleep  again,  and  I  came  to  the  con- 
clusion that  they  acted  more  as  a  narcotic  than  a  stimulant,  and 
discontinued  them. 

Just  before  reaching  the  head  of  this  great  gulf  we  came  to 
a  nunatak  in  one  of  the  numerous  glaciers,  shaped  like  the 


140  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Swiss  Matterhorn,  and  we  named  it  the  Little  Matterhorn. 
We  were  in  an  Alpine  landscape,  but  the  more  striking  fea- 
tures of  the  European  ice-covered  mountains  were  here  brought 
out  in  increased  intensity.  Arrived  at  the  head  of  the  gulf, 
we  were  confronted  by  one  of  the  grandest  glaciers  that  we 
had  yet  seen. 

Never  shall  I  forget  my  impressions,  as,  on  this  bracing 
April  day,  with  the  thermometer  from  30°  to  35°  below  zero, 
Mr.  Peary  and  I,  shod  with  snow-shoes,  climbed  over  the  deep- 
drifted  snow  to  the  summit  of  a  black  rock,  destined  in  a  few 
years  to  be  engulfed  by  the  resistless  flow  of  the  glacier,  and 
from  this  elevated  point  looked  out  across  the  mighty  stream 
of  ice  to  the  opposite  shore,  so  distant  as  to  be  indistinct,  even 
in  the  brilliant  spring  sunshine  that  was  lighting  all  the  scene. 
Looking  up  the  glacier,  the  vast  ice  river  disappeared  in  the 
serene  and  silent  heights  of  the  ice-cap.  To  think  that  this 
great  white,  apparently  lifeless,  expanse,  stretching  almost 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  eye,  is  yet  the  embodiment  of  one  of 
the  mightiest  forces  of  nature,  a  force  against  which  only  the 
iron  ribs  of  mother-earth  herself  can  offer  resistance!  As  we 
stood  there  silent,  a  block  of  ice  larger  than  many  a  pretentious 
house,  yet  but  an  atom  compared  with  the  glacier  itself,  pushed 
from  its  balance  by  the  imperceptible  but  constant  movement 
of  the  glacier,  fell  with  a  crash  from  the  glacier  face,  sending 
the  echoes  flying  along  the  ice-cliffs,  crushing  through  the  thick 
bay  ice,  and  bringing  the  dogs,  far  below  us,  to  their  feet  with 
startled  yelps. 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  14! 

The  glacier,  which  forms  much  of  the  eastern  wall  of  Ingle- 
field  Gulf,  has  a  frontage  of  about  ten  miles,  and  is  the  largest 
of  the  series  of  giant  glaciers  in  which  are  here  concentrated 
the  energies  of  the  ice-cap.  North  of  it  lie  the  Smithson 
Mountains,  and  farther  beyond,  a  vast  congeries  of  ice-streams 
which  circle  westward  and  define  the  northern  head  of  the  gulf. 
To  the  eastern  sheet,  upon  whose  bosom  no  human  being  had 
ever  stepped,  and  on  whose  beauty  and  grandeur  no  white 
person  had  ever  gazed,  we  gave  the  name  of  Heilprin  Glacier, 
in  honor  of  Prof.  Angelo  Heilprin,  of  the  Academy  of  Natural 
Sciences  of  Philadelphia. 

On  the  upward  voyage  to  Greenland  we  had  passed  num- 
bers of  glaciers,  beginning  with  the  great  Frederikshaab  ice- 
stream.  I  had  seen  the  distant  gleaming  of  the  Jacobshavn 
Glacier,  and  after  passing  Upernavik  we  were  never  without 
a  glacier  in  sight,  and  yet  it  was  not  until  September,  when 
Mr.  Peary  was  able  to  get  out  in  the  boat,  and  we  went  to  the 
head  of  McCormick  Bay  to  see  the  inland  ice-party  off,  that  I 
came  in  actual  contact  with  one  of  these  streams  of  ice.  About 
eight  miles  above  Redcliffe,  on  the  same  side  of  the  bay,  there 
is  a  hanging  glacier,  which  has  peered  at  us  past  the  shore 
cliffs  ever  since  we  entered  McCormick  Bay.  This  glacier  is 
supported  upon  a  great  pile  of  gravel,  looking  like  a  railway 
fill,  which  gives  it  the  appearance  of  being  upon  stilts.  It  was 
a  peculiar  experience  to  see  the  red-brown  rocks  and  cliffs 
glowing  in  the  sun,  and  this  great  vertical  wall  of  blue  ice 
standing  out  beyond  them,  with  little  streams  of  water  trickling 


142  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

down  from  it,  and  occasionally  fragments  of  ice  breaking  away 
and  dashing  down  with  a  muffled,  metallic  sound ;  and  more 
than  this,  to  find  the  ever-constant  friend,  the  Arctic  poppy, 
growing  actually  beneath  the  overhanging  walls  of  the  glacier. 
The  great  glaciers,  too,  that  surround  Tooktoo  Valley,  with  its 
green  meadows  and  glistening  lakes,  will  always  remain  with 
me  an  exquisite  recollection. 

Returning  to  our  sledge,  we  made  a  direct  line  for  our  camp, 
which  was  reached  after  an  absence  of  ten  hours. 

Wearied  with  our  journey,  we  immediately  prepared  to  rest, 
and  selected  a  sheltered  nook  on  the  sea  ice,  where  the  snow 
was  several  inches  deep,  and  where  we  were  protected  from 
the  light  breeze  which  blows  almost  constantly  by  a  huge  but- 
tress of  ice,  part  of  the  ice-foot.  The  memory  of  the  delightful 
sleep  of  the  night  before,  when  we  lay  right  out  in  the  sun- 
shine, helped  me  to  hurry  the  sleeping-bags  into  place  and 
crawl  into  mine  without  losing  much  time. 

Tawanah  came  to  me  and  asked  if  I  would  not  like  to  have 
my  kamiks  and  stockings  put  up  on  the  rocks  where  the  sun 
could  shine  on  them  and  dry  out  what  little  moisture  they 
might  contain,  and  I  told  him  to  take  them  away.  In  what 
seemed  to  me  only  a  few  minutes,  but  what  was  actually  four 
hours,  I  was  awakened  by  some  one  grasping  both  sides  of 
my  sleeping-bag,  evidently  trying  to  stand  it  and  its  contents 
on  end.  The  words  "  Don't  roll  over ;  try  to  stand  up  as 
quickly  as  you  can;  the  tide  has  risen  above  the  ice,"  rang  in 
my  ears.  On  looking  about  me  I  saw  that  I  had  been  lying 
in  about  six  inches  of  water  and  peacefully  sleeping. 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  143 

Fortunately  I  had  a  sealskin  cover  over  my  deerskin  bag, 
and  the  water  had  not  penetrated  it ;  therefore  my  deerskin 
knickerbockers  and  flannel  wrapper,  which'  I  always  take  off 
after  I  have  pulled  myself  down  in  the  bag,  fold  and  place 
under  me,  were  perfectly  dry.  My  poor  husband  did  not 
fare  so  well.  He  had  folded  his  trousers,  kamiks,  and  stock- 
ings and  placed  them  under  his  head  as  a  pillow,  and  of 
course  they  were  soaking  wet.  Not  having  a  cover  to  his 
sleeping-bag,  the  water  had  soaked  through,  and  it  was  this 
that  had  wakened  him. 

After  a  time  we  managed  to  dry  out,  and,  continuing  our 
journey,  reached  our  little  island  at  midnight.  As  we  ap- 
proached the  island  numbers  of  ptarmigan  were  seen  flying 
about  the  rocks,  a  circumstance  which  determined  us  to  name 
the  spot  Ptarmigan  Island.  We  secured  a  few  of  these  beau- 
tiful, snow-white  birds,  and,  after  taking  observations  for  posi- 
tion, proceeded  on  our  course  to  Tawanah's  igloo,  which  we 
reached  shortly  after  four  A.  M. 

While  preparing  the  morning  meal,  I  was  the  center  of  an 
admiring  circle^  Men,  women,  and  children  formed  a  perfect 
ring  about  me.  Never  had  they  seen  such  a  stove,  and  never 
such  cooking.  They  chattered  incessantly,  and  plied  me  with 
so  many  questions  that  I  began  to  despair  of  getting  anything 
to  eat.  Finally  I  gave  each  a  tin  of  coffee  and  some  crackers, 
and  this  kept  them  busy  long  enough  for  me  to  eat  my  meal, 
and  we  then  turned  in. 

We  awoke  about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  and  at  once 
began  our  exploration  of  the  surrounding  cliffs  and  the  neigh- 


144  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

boring  glacier,  which  Mr.  Peary  considered  one  of  the  first 
magnitude,  and  named,  after  the  distinguished  secretary  of  the 
American  Geographical  Society,  the  Hurlbut  Glacier.  It  was 
nine  o'clock  before  we  were  through  with  exploring,  photo- 
graphing, and  making  observations,  and  then  we  made  a  dash 
for  the  east  end  of  Herbert  Island. 

Mr.  Peary  laid  our  course  down  the  center  of  the  gulf, 
and  we  were  beginning  to  calculate  the  time  when  we  should 
reach  Redcliffe,  when  suddenly  we  encountered  deep,  soft  snow, 
through  which  the  dogs  could  not  pull  the  loaded  sledge  with 
any  of  us  seated  upon  it.  There  was  nothing  left  for  us  but 
to  get  off  and  walk,  or  rather  wade  through  the  snow.  After 
a  few  hours  of  this  tiring  work  the  dogs  refused  to  go  farther, 
and  it  was  only  with  special  coaxing  and  driving  that  any 
progress  was  made.  When  at  last  we  reached  Herbert  Island 
we  were  almost  as  glad  as  the  dogs  to  be  able  to  rest.  Red- 
cliffe was  still  fifteen  miles  distant. 

Mr.  Peary  and  I  spread  our  sleeping-bags  down  on  the  snow 
out  in  the  brilliant  sunshine,  and  lay  down  on  them  for  a  nap. 
We  had  not  been  asleep  long  when  I  awoke  and  found  that 
Mr.  Peary  had  arisen  and  was  walking  rapidly  in  the  direction 
of  the  ice-foot.  He  was  following  an  Eskimo  who  had  shoul- 
dered a.  rifle,  and  my  first  impression  was  that  the  native  had 
taken  one  of  our  own  rifles  from  the  sledge  and  was  making 
off  with  it. 

At  Kyo's  call  the  retreating  figure  stopped  short  and  turned 
back.  He  came  directly  to  us,  and  we  recognized  him  as 


SLEDGE   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  145 

Tahtara,  the  man  at  whose  snow- igloo  I  had  spent  such  a 
memorable  night.  He  had  been  at  Redcliffe,  and  was  now 
out  on  a  seal-hunt,  with  a  companion,  named  Kulutingwah, 
who  presently  came  dashing  round  with  two  fine-looking  dogs 
and  one  of  our  sledges. 

These  dogs  were  the  most  affectionate  Eskimo  dogs  we  had 
yet  seen,  and  by  far  the  prettiest.  They  were  large,  power- 
ful-looking animals,  that  dragged  the  sledge  with  three  natives 
upon  it  through  the  soft  snow  as  easily  as  if  they  had  no  load 
at  all.  They  were  the  first  dogs  we  had  seen  who  were  trained 
to  obey  their  master's  words  without  the  aid  of  the  whip. 
When  Kulutingwah  left  his  sledge-team  he  did  not  have  to 
turn  the  sledge  over  and  stick  the  upstanders  into  the  snow  to 
keep  the  dogs  from  running  away,  but  simply  told  them  to  stay 
there,  and  with  a  low,  deep  growl  they  would  stretch  them- 
selves upon  the  snow  and  remain  perfectly  quiet  until  his  re- 
turn, in  spite  of  the  tempting  pieces  of  seal  meat  which  might 
be  lying  around  in  their  vicinity. 

After  restowing  our  sledges  we  started  homeward.  Our 
dogs,  like  horses  at  home,  seemed  to  smell  the  stable,  and 
broke  into  a  brisk  trot,  which  they  kept  up  until  we  reached 
Redcliffe,  at  nine  in  the  evening,  Sunday,  April  24. 

Dr.  Cook,  who  had  been  left  in  charge,  had  done  good  work 
during  our  absence  of  a  week.  Quite  a  number  of  natives  from 
Netchiolumy,  Keati,  and  the  snow  village  had  arrived,  and 
among  them  an  unusual  number  of  lady  visitors,  all  willing 
to  sew  for  the  "  Americans "  for  the  small  consideration  of 


146 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


a  couple  of  needles.  The  doctor  had  set  them  to  work  on 
kamiks,  fur  mittens,  fur  stockings,  and  fur  trousers,  and  they 
had  worked  like  beavers  all  the  week,  while  the  men  had  put 
in  their  time  hunting,  and  a  goodly  number  of  seals  were 
added  to  the  store  of  dog-meat. 

We  were  now  in  possession  of  twenty-two  good  dogs,  the 
pick  of  all  the  dogs  in  the  tribe,  and  Mr.  Peary  felt  that  the  suc- 
cess of  his  long  sledge  journey  was  assured.  Every  pack  of 
Eskimo  dogs  has  its  leader.  If  a  new  dog  is  added  to  the 
pack  a  fight  takes  place  at  once  between 
him  and  the  leader  to  determine  his  posi- 
tion in  the  team.  Now,  up  to  this  time 
a  great  white  shaggy  brute,  from  Cape 
York,  whom  we  called  Lion,  on  account 
of  his  gray  mane,  had  been  the  canine 
king  of  Redcliffe.  With  the  arrival  of 
Kulutingwah's  fine  dogs  there  came  a 
change.  Lion  and  his  first  lieutenant,  a 
dog  marked  very  much  like  himself,  at 
once  charged  upon  the  new-comers,  evi- 
dently expecting  to  thrash  them  into  sub- 
jection as  easily  as  had  been  done  in  the 

case  of  the  other  dogs,  but  he,  for  once,  was  doomed  to  dis- 
appointment ;  although  the  fight  raged  fierce  and  long,  poor 
Lion  was  vanquished,  and  forced  to  resign  his  position  as  king 
in  favor  of  the  larger  of  the  new-comers,  whom  we  called 
"Naleyah"  (chief). 


Musical  Dogs. 


CHAPTER  XIII 

OFF   FOR   THE    INLAND   ICE 

The  First  Detachment  of  the  Inland  Ice-party  leaves  Redcliffe  —  Departure  of  the 
Leader  of  the  Expedition  —  Rest  after  the  Excitement  —  Arrival  of  the  Ravens 

—  Return  of  Gibson  and  Matt  —  Gloomy  Weather  —  Daily  Incidents  at  Redcliffe 

—  Spring  Arrivals  of  Eskimos  —  Eskimos  imprisoned  in  their  Igloos  by  a  May 
Snow-storm  —  The  First  Little  Auks  —  Open  Water  off  Cape  Cleveland  —  Har- 
bingers of  Summer — Myriads  of  Auks  and  Seals  —  Snow-buntings  —  Green 
Grass  and  Flies  —  Kyo,  the  Angekok. 

Saturday,  April  30.  The  past  week  has  been  one  of  hustle 
and  bustle.  The  overland  ice  journey  has  been  uppermost  in 
our  minds  and  actions,  and  this  morning  the  real  start  was 
made.  All  the  boys  except  Verhoeff,  with  the  dogs  and  five 
natives,  left  with  three  loaded  sledges  for  the  head  of  the  bay, 
whither  several  loads  of  provisions  had  already  been  trans- 
ported. Mr.  Peary  is  to  follow  in  a  few  days. 

Wednesday,  May  4.  At  8.30  P.  M.  yesterday,  Mr.  Peary 
with  Matt,  who  had  returned  for  additional  equipment,  started 
for  the  head  of  the  bay  to  join  Gibson,  Astrup,  and  Dr.  Cook, 
who  have  been  there  since  Saturday.  I  watched  him  out  of 
sight,  and  then  returned  to  the  house,  where  Mr.  Verhoeff  and 
I  will  keep  bachelor  and  maid's  hall.  For  three  full  months  I 


148 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


shall  be  without  my  husband — a  year  of  anxiety  and  worry 
to  me.  It  has  been  arranged  to  have  two  of  the  boys  accom- 
pany the  expedition,  merely  as  a  "  supporting-party,"  and  their 
farthest  point  will  probably  be  the  Humboldt  Glacier;  I  can 
therefore  expect  news  from  the  interior  in  three  weeks  or  less. 
The  last  ten  days  have  been  one  continuous  rush  for  me,  and 


Preparing  for  the  Start. 

part  of  the  time  I  hardly  knew  where  I  was.  After  I  am 
rested  I  shall  begin  a  thorough  overhauling  of  everything,  and 
get  things  ready  for  packing.  As  I  write,  11.45  P.M.,  the 
sun  is  shining,  and  as  I  think  Mr.  Peary  will  begin  his  march 


OFF    FOR   THE    INLAND    ICE  149 

to-night,  I  hope  this  morning's  snow-storm  has  cleared  the 
weather  for  some  time  to  come.  Strange  coincidence :  just 
six  years  ago  I  bade  Mr.  Peary  good-by  as  he  started  on  his 
first  Greenland  trip.  May  it  be  a  good  omen,  and  he  return 
as  successful  as  he  did  then! 

Saturday,  May  7.  The  weather  continues  alternately  dreary 
and  pleasant,  but  the  approach  of  springtime  is  unmistakable. 
Already  the  ravens  have  arrived,  and  moderate  thaws  have 
begun  to  loosen  our  covering  of  snow  and  ice.  Shortly  after 
six  this  morning  I  was  awakened  by  hearing  one  of  the  hus- 
kies cry,  "  My  tigalay,  my  tigalay  "  (Matt  has  returned),  and 
in  a  minute  later  Matt  and  Gibson  came  in.  The  former  had 
returned  on  account  of  a  frozen  heel,  while  Gibson  came  back 
for  additional  alcohol.  In  a  note  to  me  Mr.  Peary  stated  that 
he  had  met  with  a  severe  obstacle  in  the  way  of  heavy  snow 
and  steep  up-grades,  and  therefore  had  not  made  the  distance 
that  he  had  hoped  to  cover  in  a  week's  time. 

Sunday,  May  8.  At  last  it  seems  to  have  cleared,  but  still 
the  head  of  the  bay  is  enveloped  in  mist.  Gibson  left  us  again 
yesterday,  and  he  is  probably  with  his  party  this  evening.  The 
thermometer  is  steadily  rising,  and  with  a  temperature  to-day 
of  28°  everything  has  been  dripping.  I  got  all  the  snow  off 
the  roof  of  the  house  and  the  canvas-covered  annex  on  the 
west  side,  as  water  had  begun  running  down  between  the 
tarred  paper. 

Tuesday,  May  10.  All  night  the  wind  blew  a  gale  from 
the  east  and  northeast,  and  all  day  the  snow  has  been  flying 


150  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

in  clouds  so  thick  that  at  times  we  could  not  see  the  tide- 
gage,  a  hundred  yards  distant.  My  thoughts  have  been 
continually  with  the  little  party  on  the  ice.  I  know  who  will 
have  the  worst  time,  who  will  have  to  look  out  for  everything, 
and  it  worries  me  because  I  know  he  is  not  as  well  as  he  ought 
to  be.  Everything  around  Redcliffe  is  hidden  in  the  snow- 
drifts, and  the  snow  has  been  coming  in  under  the  canvas  until 
we  have  three  feet  of  it  in  front  of  our  door  inside  the  in- 
closure,  in  spite  of  Matt's  blocking  all  the  openings  in  the 
walls.  With  Matt's  help  the  range  and  lockers  were  moved 
out  of  my  room  to-day,  and  we  found  the  wall  and  floor  cov- 
ered with  ice.  I  knocked  off  as  much  as  I  could,  and  removed 
the  cardboard  from  the  floor,  and  to-night  the  blanket  and 
carpet  at  that  end  of  the  room  have  thawed  and  are  dripping 
wet.  This  evening  Kyo  wanted  to  know  if  we  would  permit 
him  to  go  with  us  beyond  Cape  York,  to  where  the  other 
Eskimos  live  (Upernavik,  or  Disko).  I  told  him  he  could ; 
then  he  wanted  to  know  if  I  would  draw  a  map  of  Greenland, 
and  mark  our  route  upon  it.  He  seemed  to  understand,  and 
was  pleased  to  know  that  he  could  go. 

Wednesday,  May  1 1 .  A  beautiful  day.  The  drifts  are 
hard  as  marble.  Matt  shoveled  the  snow  out  of  the  entrance, 
and  we  once  more  opened  our  windows.  The  drip  from  the 
roof  has  forced  us  to  remove  all  the  snow  and  ice,  and  we  are 
thus  recovering  our  non-wintry  appearance. 

Friday,  May  13.  Contrary  to  all  expectations,  last  night 
and  to-day  have  been  warm  and  bright.  All  the  huskies 


OFF   FOR   THE   INLAND    ICE  151 

gathered  on  our  roof,  which  is  dry  and  retains  the  sun's  heat. 
Noyah,  the  baby,  rolled  about  entirely  naked  in  a  tempera- 
ture of  22°,  except  for  a  cap,  which  was  nothing  more  or  less 
than  the  toe  of  one  of  Mr.  Peary's  cast-off  blue  socks.  Ver- 
hoeff,  who  has  made  a  tour  to  one  of  the  neighboring  icebergs, 
reports  that  the  snow  has  been  swept  from  the  ice  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  bay,  and  that  the  ice  has  commenced  to  melt. 

Saturday,  May  21.  The  past  week  has  seen  our  home 
again  converted  into  an  Eskimo  encampment.  There  have 
been  numerous  arrivals  of  old  and  new  faces,  representing  all 
conditions  of  age  from  the  tiniest  baby  to  Tahtara's  mother. 
The  simple  folk  have  come  as  heralds  of  the  approaching  spring, 
some  to  stay  and  others  to  proceed  farther.  They  report  the 
return  of  the  little  auk  at  Keati.  Yesterday  and  to-day 
have  been  wild,  stormy  days,  the  wind  blowing  a  gale  from 
the  southeast  nearly  all  the  time,  and  when  it  was  not  actually 
snowing  the  snow  was  flying  so  furiously  that  it  was  all  but 
impossible  to  face  it.  The  two  Eskimo  families  in  the  snow- 
igloos  experienced  much  discomfort,  and  this  morning  Kyo 
called  for  Matt  to  dig  him  out.  The  snow  had  drifted  in  the 
entrance  to  his  igloo  until  it  had  filled  and  piled  up  higher 
than  the  house,  and  he  had  had  great  difficulty  in  keeping  an 
air-hole  open  during  the  night. 

Monday,  May  23.  A  beautiful  day.  I  hoisted  a  new  flag 
on  Redcliffe  House  in  honor  of  my  sister  Mayde's  birthday. 
Yesterday  was  the  anniversary  of  my  own  birth,  the  first  of 
my  life  when  I  did  not  receive  a  birthday  wish  from  my  dear 


152  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

mother,  and  the  first  which  I  spent  without  receiving  a  loving 
greeting  from  some  dear  one.  I  was  obliged  to  go  through 
the  routine  formality  of  setting  out  the  wine,  but  I  felt  neither 
like  eating  nor  drinking.  Yesterday  morning  the  first  little 
auks  were  seen  flying  over  Redcliffe  House,  some  in  the 
direction  of  the  head  of  the  bay,  others  in  the  opposite  di- 
rection. 

Kyo,  Matt,  and  I  indulged  in  a  little  target-shooting  to-day 
with  my  revolver.  We  put  up  a  tin  at  forty  feet  distance 
and  fired  six  shots  each.  In  the  first  round  Matt  scored 
nothing,  Kyo  hit  the  target  3  times,  while  I  hit  it  5  times. 
I  then  stepped  out,  and  Matt  and  Kyo  tried  again,  the  former 
scoring  5  and  the  latter  4. 

Thursday,  May  26.  A  perfect  day,  clear,  calm,  and  warm. 
Nearly  four  weeks  have  elapsed  since  Mr.  Peary  left  me,  and 
yet  no  news.  For  a  full  week,  day  by  day,  I  have  been  ex- 
pecting the  supporting- party,  and  am  now  nearly  desperate. 
Being  in  no  mood  for  writing,  reading,  or  sewing,  I  called  Jack 
and  started  for  Cape  Cleveland,  where  open  water  had  been 
reported.  For  a  quarter  of  a  mile  before  reaching  the  Cape 
I  sank  into  water  almost  to  my  boot-tops,  but  I  felt  fully 
repaid  for  my  trouble  by  the  beautiful  sight  which  met  my 
gaze.  The  water,  of  deepest  blue  and  clear  as  crystal,  sparkled 
and  danced  in  the  sunlight,  as  if  it  were  overjoyed  to  have 
broken  loose  from  its  long  imprisonment,  and  once  more  have 
the  countless  birds  sporting  on  its  bosom.  The  water  and  the 
air  above  it  were  at  times  black  with  birds,  the  majority  being 


OFF    FOR    THE    INLAND    ICE  153 

little  auks.  There  was,  however,  a  goodly  sprinkling  of  black 
guillemots  and  gulls.  I  also  saw  a  pair  of  eider-ducks.  I 
watched  this  scene  for  some  time.  Two  stately,  massive 
bergs  in  the  center  of  the  pool  of  dancing  water  imparted 
grandeur  to  the  picture — now  glistening  with  the  dazzling 
white  of  marble,  and  a  moment  later  black  with  the  myriads 
of  feathered  creatures  that  had  settled  on  them.  The  sight  of 
the  water  made  me  feel  more  homesick  than  ever,  so  I  contin- 
ued my  walk  around  the  Cape.  At  every  step  I  broke  into 
the  snow  nearly  to  my  hips,  and  sometimes  there  was  water 
under  it.  I  saw  four  pairs  of  snow-buntings  chirping  and  flit- 
ting about  among  the  rocks  and  patches  of  grass  where  the 
snow  had  disappeared.  They  were  evidently  getting  ac- 
quainted with  each  other,  and  looking  for  a  place  in  which  to 
make  their  home.  Almost  half  way  between  the  trap-dyke 
and  Three-Mile  Valley  I  came  upon  the  place  where  Kulu- 
tunah  had  formerly  had  his  tupic,  and  where  he  had  left 
nearly  one  half  of  a  last  summer's  seal  lying  exposed  on  the 
ice.  About  this  had  gathered  hundreds  upon  hundreds  of 
flies,  some  large  and  some  small,  the  first  I  have  seen  since 
leaving  Upernavik,  I  think.  I  brought  some  back  as  speci- 
mens. The  air  was  filled  with  the  chirping  of  birds,  the  buzz 
of  flies,  the  drip,  drip,  drip  of  the  snow  and  ice  everywhere 
about,  and  the  odor  of  decaying  seal.  On  my  return  I  climbed 
over  the  Cape  in  preference  to  rounding  it,  as  I  had  seen  large 
pieces  of  ice  break  off  and  float  out  into  the  dark  water.  From 
my  elevated  position  the  surface  of  the  ice  around  and  beyond 


154  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

the  water  looked  as  if  it  had  had  its  face  badly  freckled,  so 
covered  was  it  with  black  specks ;  each  speck  represented  a 
seal  taking  his  sun-bath.  Yet  it  is  very  difficult  for  the  natives 
to  catch  these  creatures,  as  the  ice  is  rotten  and  will  not  bear 
their  weight. 

On  reaching  Redcliffe  House  I  saw  Kyo  dressed  in  a  pair 
of  woven  trousers,  a  blue  flannel  shirt,  and  a  pair  of  suspen- 
ders given  him  by  Matt,  and  Mr.  Peary's  old  gray  felt  hat, 
which  I  gave  him  a  day  or  two  ago,  and  which  he  hesitated 
to  take,  because,  he  said,  it  was  not  mine  to  give,  and  Mr. 
Peary  would  say  on  his  return,  "  Ibly  tiglipo,  ibly  peeuk 
nahme  "  (you  steal,  you  are  no  good).  He  looked  precisely 
like  an  Indian  as  he  stood  there,  busy  putting  up  his  tent  on 
the  brow  of  the  hill  directly  back  of  the  house.  This  place 
has  been  free  of  snow  for  some  time  and  is  perfectly  dry,  while 
his  igloo,  as  well  as  the  other  two,  is  constantly  wet  from  the 
melting  snow.  He  is  filled  with  the  idea  of  going  to  America. 
Every  night  he  comes  for  a  magazine  to  look  at  after  he  has 
gone  to  bed,  as  he  has  seen  some  of  the  boys  do.  He  says 
Mr.  Peary  will  be  his  "  athata  "  (father)  and  Missy  Peary  his 
"  ahnahna  "  (mother)  on  the  ship,  and  when  he  gets  to  Amer- 
ica he  will  learn  how  to  read,  and  then  he  won't  have  to  select 
books  with  pictures.  Whatever  he  sees  he  wants  to  know  if 
he  will  see  it  made  in  America.  He  tells  me  that  he  is  an 
"  angekok "  (doctor),  and  that  he  always  cures  the  people. 
They  never  die  where  he  is,  and  he  can  make  them  do  just 
as  he  chooses.  His  wife  does  not  seem  to  care  to  go  to 


OFF    FOR    THE    INLAND    ICE 


155 


America,  so  for  the  last  few  days  he  has  borrowed  two  or 
three  magazines  to  take  into  his  igloo,  where  for  three  or  four 
hours  at  a  stretch  he  has  sat  with  his  wife  in  front  of  him  and 
the  book  between  them,  swaying  himself  from  side  to  side, 
and  singing  a  monotonous  sort  of  tune  at  the  top  of  his  voice. 
In  this  way,  the  other  natives  assure  me,  he  works  a  spell  over 
her,  and  she  willingly  consents  to  go  with  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV 


Anxious  Fears  for  the  Inland  Ice-party  —  A  "Red-Letter"  Day  —  Return  of 
the  Supporting-party  with  Good  News  —  First  Flowers — Job's  Comforters 
among  the  Huskies  —  An  Attack  of  Homesickness  —  The  Snow  disappearing 

—  My  Confidante,  the   Brook  —  The  Eider-ducks  return  —  I  stand  my  Watch 
with  the  Others  —  Matt  crippled  by  a  Frosted  Heel  —  We  are  reduced  to  a  Seal 
Diet  —  A  July  Snow-storm  —  Influx  of  Natives  —  Open  \Vater  reaches  Redcliffe 

—  Matt  overhears  a  Native  Plot  to  kill  us. 

Monday,  May  30.  We  had  a  great  excitement  about  8.30 
this  evening.  A  black  spot  was  seen  out  in  the  sound  beyond 
an  iceberg,  over  two  miles  away.  With  the  aid  of  the  glass 
we  could  see  it  was  moving  in  our  direction,  and  we  thought 
it  was  Annowkah  coming  back  from  the  other  bay.  Kyo,  who 
was  watching  constantly,  all  at  once  became  very  much  excited, 
declaring  it  was  not  an  Innuit,  and  he  could  not  tell  what 
it  was.  Then,  suddenly  throwing  down  the  glass,  his  eyes 
almost  starting  from  his  head,  he  exclaimed,  "  Nahnook,  nah- 
nook,  boo  mut  toy-hoy,  car,  car,  toy-hoy  "  (a  bear!  a  bear!  — 
the  rifle,  quick,  hurry,  hurry,  quick).  Matt  and  I  rushed  into 
the  house  for  our  rifles  and  ammunition,  but  by  the  time  we 
came  out  the  object  was  behind  the  berg,  lost  to  view.  It  soon 
reappeared,  however,  and  we  then  saw  that  it  was  a  dog.  Kyo, 


WEARY    DAYS    OF    WAITING  157 

who  had  been  watching  it  closely,  immediately  recognized  it 
as  one  of  Mr.  Peary's  pack,  and  said  that  it  was  in  a  starving 
condition.  The  poor  animal  was  hardly  able  to  get  along,  and 
had  evidently  had  nothing  to  eat  for  a  week  or  ten  days.  He 
is  very  weak,  especially  in  his  hind  legs,  and  he  has  a  cut  from 
his  left  eye  down  to  his  mouth.  The  dog  is  the  one  which 
we  had  designated  the  "  devil  dog,"  and  was  in  charge  of  the 
supporting-party.  Can  it  be  that  the  supporting-party  has 
met  with  mishap,  or  are  they  returning  by  way  of  Smith 
Sound?  The  incident  brings  up  unpleasant  forebodings,  but 
I  am  utterly  powerless  in  my  position. 

Thursday,  June  2.  Three  more  days  of  increasing  sus- 
pense, and  still  no  news.  It  is  now  twenty-seven  days  since 
Gibson  left  us  to  rejoin  the  party,  and  at  that  time  Mr.  Peary 
wrote,  "We  go  over  the  ice-cap  to-night,"  and  he  thought 
that  the  supporting-party  would  be  back  in  ten  days,  or  at 
most  in  two  weeks.  Spring  is  now  rapidly  coming  to  us,  and 
the  mercury,  in  the  sun,  has  risen  well  into  the  seventies. 

Friday,  June  3.  My  nightmare  is  over;  the  boys  have 
returned,  and  they  bring  good  news  of  my  husband.  I  can- 
not describe  how  I  felt  when  the  doctor,  on  shaking  hands 
with  me,  told  me  he  had  left  Mr.  Peary  and  Astrup  both  in 
good  health  and  spirits,  and  doing  good  traveling.  Both  boys 
look  exceedingly  well,  although  their  faces,  and  noses  partic- 
ularly, are  much  burned  and  blistered  by  the  sun  and  wind, 
and  Gibson  complains  of  his  eyes.  I  got  them  something 
hot  to  drink,  made  them  chocolate,  and  then  retired  to  my 


158 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


room  to  read  my  letter.  Gibson  weighs  173%^  pounds  net, 
against  176^  when  he  left;  the  doctor  weighs  153  pounds 
net,  as  against  146^. 

Saturday,  June  11.  The  past  week  has  been  almost  en- 
tirely without  incident.  Dr.  Cook  has  assumed  command  of 
our  establishment,  and  I  am  therefore  free  of  responsibility 
beyond  that  of  taking  care  of  myself.  My  thoughts  wander 
constantly  to  the  members  of  the  inland  ice-party,  and  I  often 
wonder  if  they  will  return  in  time  for 
us  to  go  south  still  this  summer.  The 
doctor  and  Gibson  do  not  expect  them 
before  the  ist  of  September,  while  our 
Eskimo  friends  cheerfully  assure  us  that 
they  will  never  return.  My  instinct  re- 
volts against  this  judgment,  but  it  makes 
an  impression  upon  me,  nevertheless. 
To-day  I  walked  over  to  the  Quarter- 

A  Corner  of  my  Room.        Mjle  Valley>  and  gat  by  the  stream  which 

there  rushes  down  from  the  cliffs  and  tumbles  over  the  icy 
hummocks,  cutting  its  way  through  the  snow  that  fills  its  bed 
and  over  the  ice-foot  into  the  bay.  The  little  snow-buntings 
were  chirping  and  flitting  about  me,  and  great  patches  of 
purple  flowers,  the  first  of  which  I  observed  just  one  week 
ago,  were  to  be  seen  wherever  the  snow  had  melted  suffi- 
ciently for  them  to  peep  through ;  these  were  the  earliest 
flowers  of  the  season.  I  sat  here  and  indulged  in  a  fit  of 
homesickness.  Never  in  my  life  have  I  felt  so  utterly  alone 


WEARY    DAYS    OF    WAITING  159 

and  forsaken,  with  no  possible  chance  of  knowing  how  and 
where  my  dear  ones  are.  It  surely  must  end  some  time. 

Sunday,  June  12.  The  snow  is  disappearing  rapidly,  and 
just  as  soon  as  a  patch  of  ground  is  laid  bare  it  is  covered  with 
flowers,  usually  the  purple  ones,  although  I  have  seen  a  few 
tiny  white  and  yellow  ones  as  well.  The  west  wall  of  our 
entrance  is  covered  with  green  shoots.  The  doctor  and 
Gibson  are  preparing  for  a  ten  days'  hunting-trip  up  the  bay, 
and  they  have  made  up  the  following  list  of  provisions  and 
accessories:  140  crackers  (seven  per  man  per  day),  10  pounds 
sugar,  4  pounds  meal,  8  pounds  hominy,  5  cans  milk,  I  three- 
pound  can  of  tongue,  2  cans  corned  beef,  3  cans  tomatoes, 
3  cans  corn,  2  cans  soup,  4  cakes  pea-soup,  4  pounds  bacon, 
i  package  cornstarch,  I  can  Mosqueros  food,  flavoring  extract, 
salt,  4  pounds  coffee,  ^  pound  of  tea,  15  pounds  dog-meat 
for  two  dogs,  2  cans  alcohol,  2  alcohol-stoves,  2  boxes  wind- 
matches  and  i  box  blueheads,  I  box  of  cartridges,  and  a  num- 
ber of  shells.  They  expect  to  leave  this  evening.  The  con- 
dition of  Matt's  frozen  heel  has  been  steadily  growing  worse, 
and,  poor  fellow!  he  is  beginning  to  suffer  acutely.  He  is 
threatened  with  a  chronic  running  sore. 

There  is  only  one  thing  now  left  to  me  which  gives  me  any 
pleasure,  and  that  is  to  go  to  the  little  brook  in  the  Quarter- 
Mile  Valley  and  listen  to  its  music  while  I  give  my  thoughts 
full  play.  I  close  my  eyes,  and  once  more  I  am  in  our  little 
tent,  listening  to  this  same  music,  mingled  with  the  sound  of  the 
"  Kite's  "  whistle  and  the  splash  of  the  white  whales  as  they 


I6O  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

frisked  back  and  forth  in  the  water  close  to  the  shore.  This 
was  when  we  first  landed,  and  before  the  house  was  ready 
for  us. 

Wednesday,  June  15.  The  last  of  winter  is  leaving  us. 
The  water  is  rushing  and  gurgling  on  all  sides,  and  the  brown 
cliffs  back  of  the  house,  as  well  as  the  red  cliffs  to  the  right, 
are  almost  entirely  bared  of  the  snowy  mantle  which  has  so 
long  covered  them.  Eider-ducks  are  passing  us  daily,  and  in 
their  wake  come  other  birds  from  the  balmy  south. 

My  routine  tramps  have  been  largely  interfered  with  by  the 
character  of  the  walking,  which  has  become  very  bad,  snow, 
slush,  and  water  alternating  in  layers.  Into  this  one  plunges 
thigh-deep  without  warning,  and  it  requires  considerable  ma- 
neuvering to  extricate  one's  self  without  becoming  saturated 
with  ice-cold  water.  The  tide  comes  in  beyond  the  ice-foot, 
and  Verhoeff  almost  swims  to  the  tide-gage,  which  is  now 
five  inches  higher  out  of  the  ice.  I  have  been  for  some  time 
past  taking  my  watch  regularly  with  the  boys,  and  naturally 
it  interferes  somewhat  with  the  fulness  of  my  night's  rest.  At 
present  the  night  is  divided  into  three  watches,  of  which  I  take 
the  first,  Verhoeff  the  second,  and  Matt  the  morning  watch. 

Wednesday,  June  22.  Another  week  has  passed,  and  by 
this  much  my  husband  is  nearer  to  his  return.  Our  routine 
continues  unchanged,  except  in  unimportant  details,  and  the 
monotony  of  our  life,  together  with  certain  vexations  which 
necessarily  arise,  makes  me  at  times  cross  and  despondent. 
Our  Eskimos  have  been  taking  advantage  of  the  open  leads 


WEARY   DAYS   OF    WAITING  l6l 

and  the  return  of  animals  to  go  out  on  various  hunting-expe- 
ditions, and  they  report  more  or  less  success  with  walrus,  white 
whale,  and  narwhal.  I  am  longing  for  venison,  as  we  have 
been  largely  reduced  to  a  seal  diet,  and  seal  is  all  but  nause- 
ating to  me.  Deer  seem  to  be  very  difficult  to  get  at  just  at 
present,  and  Dr.  Cook,  who  returned  early  Sunday  morning 
from  his  hunt  at  the  head  of  the  bay,  brought  none  with  him 
—  indeed,  no  meat  of  any  kind. 

The  first  rain  of  the  season  took  place  last  Thursday  night, 
and  it  has  been  raining  again  lightly  this  evening.  Yesterday 
I  took  a  walk  along  the  base  of  the  trap- dyke.  The  snow  has 
disappeared  from  the  plateau,  and  the  air  is  fragrant  with  the 
spring  flowers  and  mosses,  which  fairly  cover  the  ground. 
Numberless  snow-birds  are  flitting  about,  chirping  to  each 
other,  and  the  rushing  of  the  brooklets  is  heard  constantly. 
All  the  flowers  have  returned  and  all  the  birds  are  here  again, 
and  they  will  stay  with  us  until  the  middle  of  September,  when 
I  hope  that  we,  too,  shall  return  south.  Altogether  the  scene 
reminded  me  of  the  time  when  Mr.  Peary  and  I  came  up  here 
last  fall,  and  I  gathered  flowers  while  he  pressed  them. 

Tuesday,  June  28.  What  a  horrible  day  it  has  been!  The 
wind  blows  so  hard  that  it  is  almost  impossible  for  me  to 
stand  up  against  it.  The  rain  dashes  against  the  window  until 
it  seems  as  though  it  would  break  it  in.  At  times  the  rain 
changes  to  snow,  while  on  the  cliff's  it  has  been  snowing  con- 
stantly. They  are  as  white  as  they  have  been  any  time  this 
winter.  Icebergs  have  been  groaning  and  toppling  over  all 


162  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

day,  and  in  the  fury  of  the  storm,  just  after  midnight,  the 
tide-gage  fell  over.  My  constant  thought  is  of  the  advance 
party.  God  help  them  if  they  are  caught  in  such  a  storm  on 
ice  that  is  not  suitable  for  building  igloos.  As  the  days  wear 
on  I  feel  as  if  the  chances  were  almost  even  as  to  whether  I 
shall  ever  see  my  husband  again.  I  can  do  nothing,  not  even 
keep  still.  Perhaps  it  is  a  good  thing  that  I  am  obliged  to  do 
the  work  about  the  house. 

Our  boys  have  been  improving  the  time  by  gathering  up 
collections  of  various  kinds,  and  the  doctor  has  been  especially 
busy  trading  for  any  and  every  thing  in  the  way  of  native 
clothing,  implements,  and  toys,  for  all  of  which  he  gives 
pieces  of  boards,  barrel-staves,  boxes,  and  other  odds  and 
ends  in  the  lumber  line,  all  worthless  to  us,  but  invaluable  to 
the  poor  Eskimos.  Wood  is  to  them  their  most  precious 
article,  for  without  it  they  could  neither  have  boats  nor 
sledges,  nor  would  they  be  able  to  fashion  those  perfect 
instruments  of  the  chase,  the  harpoon  and  spear,  which  they 
handle  with  unsurpassed  dexterity.  Yet  wood  is  also  their 
scarcest  article,  and  is  obtained  only  from  wreckage  or  through 
occasional  barter  with  whalers  passing  near  Cape  York.  A 
cargo  of  lumber  would  procure  anything  from  the  natives — 
indeed,  almost  their  entire  possessions. 

Friday,  July  I.  To-day  we  narrowly  escaped  a  bad  accident. 
The  doctor  accidentally  discharged  a  gun  in  the  big  room, 
where  Gibson,  Verhoeff,  and  Tooky  were  sitting.  Fortunately 
no  one  was  hurt,  the  charge  going  through  the  roof,  making 


WEARY   DAYS    OF    WAITING  163 

quite  a  hole,  and  badly  frightening  Matt,  who  was  lying  there. 
Matt's  foot  is  improving  somewhat,  and  probably  in  a  few  days 
his  condition  will  be  such  that  he  will  be  able  to  get  about. 
This  prospect  is  gratifying  to  me,  as  I  have  determined  to  go 
to  the  head  of  the  bay  in  about  three  weeks,  there  to  await 
Mr.  Peary's  return,  and  I  wish  to  have  Matt  for  my  companion. 

Monday,  July  4.  This  evening  I  was  treated  to  a  native 
vegetable  dish.  Returning  from  a  walk  to  Cape  Cleveland, 
I  met  Mane  and  her  children  coming  to  meet  me.  She  told 
me  they  eat  the  little  purple  flowers  which  bloom  so  abun- 
dantly almost  everywhere  in  this  vicinity,  and  asked  me  to 
try  them.  I  found  that  they  were  quite  as  sweet  as  our  clo- 
ver blossoms,  and  they  have,  besides,  a  very  aromatic  flavor. 
Mane  had  brought  two  of  our  tin  mess-pans  with  her,  and  we 
filled  them  with  blossoms  and  sour-grass.  On  reaching  Red- 
cliffe  Mane  mixed  the  flowers  and  sour-grass,  then,  pouring 
a  little  water  on  them,  put  them  on  the  stove.  I  suggested 
that  she  wash  them  so  as  to  remove  at  least  some  of  the 
sand,  at  which  she  laughed,  saying  that  sand  was  good  for 
the  stomach ;  nevertheless,  she  made  a  show  of  washing  them, 
and  then  let  them  boil  for  about  fifteen  minutes.  The  flavor 
was  a  peculiarly  pleasant  one,  but  I  thought  it  a  little  sour, 
and  added  some  sugar,  which  gave  it  something  of  the  taste 
of  rhubarb-plant  stewed,  only  more  aromatic. 

This  concoction  is  the  only  vegetable  dish  that  these  people 
ever  have,  and  this  is  only  eaten  by  the  women  and  children, 
not  by  the  men.  On  the  other  hand,  the  men  eat  the  eggs 


1 64  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

of  the  different  birds,  but  will  not  allow  the  women  to  touch 
them.  It  was  amusing  to  see  both  Mane  and  M'gipsu  eat 
cake  containing  eggs,  begging  us  not  to  tell  their  husbands, 
and  consoling  themselves  with  the  reflection  that  eggs  did 
not  form  the  chief  part  of  the  cake. 

Wednesday,  July  6.  Another  sunshiny  day.  Yesterday 
morning  two  Eskimo  boys  came  in,  and  reported  that  a  whole 
troop  of  natives  were  at  Ittiblu  on  their  way  over  from  Netchi- 
olumy.  They  are  compelled  to  go  up  the  gulf  this  far  in  order 
to  cross  on  the  ice  above  the  open  water. 

The  open  water  has  now  nearly  reached  Redcliffe,  and  is 
full  of  birds.  About  five  o'clock  this  morning  fourteen  natives 
arrived,  among  whom  are  Mekhtoshay  (the  one-eyed  man)  and 
his  wife  and  boy,  and  Ingyahpahdu  and  his  six  children. 
The  one-eyed  man  brought  his  tent  with  him,  a  very  small 
one,  but  the  others  are  camping  with  their  neighbors — a 
privilege  which  is  generally  permitted  in  traveling.  We  have 
taken  advantage  of  these  numerous  arrivals  to  continue  our 
series  of  ethnological  photographs,  and  the  doctor  has  been 
kept  busy  posing,  grouping,  etc.  Our  settlement  now  num- 
bers thirty-four  natives,  men,  women,  and  children. 

Gibson  has  started  off  on  a  ten  days'  collecting-tour  to  the 
head  of  the  bay.  He  will  leave  the  tent  in  Tooktoo  Valley 
for  me,  and  I  shall  go  as  soon  as  he  returns,  taking  provisions 
enough  to  last  till  August  6th.  If  Mr.  Peary  has  not  returned 
by  that  time  then  I  shall  come  back  to  the  house  and  get  every- 
thing ready  for  our  homeward  journey  in  the  early  autumn. 


WEARY   DAYS   OF    WAITING  165 

Thursday,  July  7.  I  determined  to  take  advantage  of  the 
fine  weather  we  are  having  and  get  rid  of  some  washing  to- 
day. I  also  put  Noyah,  Mane's  little  one,  in  the  tub  and  gave 
her  a  good  scrubbing.  She  actually  looked  quite  cute,  and 
after  getting  over  her  surprise  at  being  plunged  into  the  water, 
enjoyed  it,  laughing  and  splashing.  It  seems  odd  to  see  the 
children  so  backward.  This  child,  who  is  already  two  years 
old,  has  just  begun  to  stand  alone,  and  in  all  other  respects 
she  is  like  a  child  at  home  of  ten  months  or  a  year.  M'gipsu's 
baby  is  a  year  old,  but  in  size  and  mental  development  com- 
pares with  a  five-months-old  white  baby.  To-night  we  finished 
taking  the  photographs  and  measurements  of  the  Eskimos. 

Sunday,  July  10.  The  day  has  been  bright,  warm,  and 
sunny.  At  eight  o'clock  this  morning  the  thermometer  in 
the  sun  registered  92°,  and  still  it  would  be  called  a  cool, 
pleasant  day  at  home.  The  doctor  tore  down  the  shed  back 
of  my  room  in  order  to  give  the  sun  a  chance  to  melt  the  ice 
and  dry  the  things  under  it. 

Ikwa  killed  an  "  oogzook  "  this  morning  while  out  in  his 
kayak.  It  took  three  men  all  day  to  bring  in  the  skin  and 
part  of  the  carcass.  Ikwa  says  he  has  to  divide  the  skin 
among  all  the  men  in  the  settlement,  even  Kyoshu  the  cripple 
coming  in  for  a  share.  It  is  the  rule  that  every  animal  killed, 
larger  than  a  seal,  must  be  divided  among  all  the  men  in  the 
community,  regardless  of  their  share  in  the  securing  of  it. 

Monday,  July  11.  When  I  awoke  this  morning  I  heard 
Matt  and  the  doctor  talking  very  earnestly,  but  could  not 


1 66  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

hear  what  they  were  saying;  from  their  tone  I  judged  it 
was  something  serious.  Finally  I  called  to  the  doctor  and 
asked  him  what  the  trouble  was.  He  told  me  that  Matt 
had  overheard  Kyo  and  Kulutingwah  planning  to  make  away 
with  one  of  us.  I  could  not  help  laughing  at  this  recital, 
which  provoked  the  doctor  a  little ;  we  had  laughed  at  similar 
stories  related  by  Arctic  explorers,  and  had  agreed  that  these 
natives  were  not  at  all  inclined  to  be  warlike  or  vindictive.  I 
tried  to  reason  with  the  boys.  In  the  first  place,  if  the  natives 
had  any  such  design,  would  they  not  have  kept  the  three  men 
here  who  left  for  Karnah  yesterday?  Secondly,  would  they 
be  likely  to  come  over  to  our  house  and  discuss  their  plans? 
And  thirdly,  do  any  of  us  know  enough  of  their  language  to 
understand  a  conversation  in  which  the  participants  are  not 
even  to  be  seen?  The  whole  thing  seemed  very  amusing  to 
me,  but  both  boys  were  evidently  frightened,  and  wanted  to 
be  armed  and  ready  for  any  emergency ;  consequently,  I  gave 
the  doctor  Mr.  Peary's  pistol  to  carry  and  Matt  my  large  one, 
and  they  have  worn  them  all  day.  Matt  imagined  he  knew 
the  cause  of  the  whole  thing,  namely,  Kyo  was  mad  because 
I  had  stopped  his  coffee  and  bread  in  the  morning;  he  had 
blamed  Matt  for  it,  and  so  Matt  felt  certain  he  was  to  be 
the  victim.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  Kyo  got  his  coffee  as 
usual  this  morning.  I  had  intended  to  stop  it,  but  as  Mane 
was  sick  and  did  not  care  for  her  share,  there  was  enough  to 
go  round.  The  doctor,  more  than  any  one  else,  has  reason 
to  fear  Kyo,  as  Kyo  makes  no  secret  of  his  dislike  for  him. 


WEARY    DAYS    OF    WAITING 


I67 


One  year  ago  to-night  was  the  most  miserable  night  I  had 
ever  spent.  Mr.  Peary  had  broken  his  leg,  and  for  a  few  hours 
I  did  not  know  whether  he  would  ever  be  able  to  use  it  again ; 
to-night  I  do  not  even  know  that  he  is  alive.  I  feel  very  cer- 
tain, however,  that  a  month  will  solve  this  question  for  me, 
and  so  am  determined  not  to  worry  any  more. 


CHAPTER   XV 

MY    CAMPING   EXPERIENCE    IN   TOOKTOO    VALLEY 

Conclusion  of  the  Murder  Scare  —  A  Fifteen-mile  Walk  along  the  Arctic  Shore  — 
Matt  my  Sole  Companion  —  An  Arctic  Paradise  —  A  Tramp  with  an  Unpleasant 
Ending  —  Twenty-four  Hours  with  Nothing  to  eat  —  In  the  Shadow  of  the  Ice- 
cliffs  —  Fording  a  Glacial  River  —  Safe  in  Camp  again. 

Tuesday,  July  12.  Gibson  arrived  this  morning,  minus  his 
sledge  and  his  entire  load,  having  been  obliged  to  abandon 
them  on  account  of  hard  traveling.  He  advises  me  to  go  to 
the  head  of  the  bay  without  delay,  as  the  ice  is  even  now  in  a 
bad  condition,  and  each  day  makes  it  worse.  Ikwa  was  on 
the  point  of  starting  with  a  sledge  of  provisions  and  bedding, 
and  I  decided  at  once  that  Matt  should  accompany  him.  I 
shall  follow  later  along  the  shore.  At  one  P.  M.  Matt  and 
Ikwa  started,  with  five  dogs,  one  native  sledge,  and  one  to- 
boggan. I  fully  intended  to  leave  after  supper,  but  I  found 
so  many  things  to  do  that  I  was  too  tired  to  think  of  walking 
fifteen  miles,  and  determined  to  wait  until  to-morrow.  I  gave 
my  room  a  thorough  cleaning,  and  put  down  my  new  car- 
pet, washed  and  did  up  my  bed-curtains,  and  made  things 
as  bright  and  clean  as  possible.  I  hope  the  little  den  will 
look  somewhat  homelike  to  Mr.  Peary  when  he  comes  back. 


14 


2  > 
n  2 


MY    CAMPING   EXPERIENCE   IN   TOOKTOO   VALLEY     169 

I  am  afraid  this  lovely  weather  will  not  last  much  longer ;  but 
even  if  it  rains  I  believe  I  can  be  as  comfortable  in  the  tent  as 
here  at  Redcliffe. 

Kyo  came  in  to-night  and  had  a  long  talk  with  the  doctor 
about  the  doctor's  threatening  to  shoot  the  huskies.  He  is 
very  much  frightened  at  the  doctor's  carrying  the  revolver. 
What  added  to  his  fright  was  that  we  opened  the  side  win- 
dow this  afternoon,  Kyo  immediately  concluding  that  we  in- 
tended to  fire  on  the  natives  from  it.  I  am  more  than  ever 
convinced  that  there  was  nothing  in  Matt's  "  overheard  con- 
versation," and  it  is  certain  that  all  the  Eskimos  are  badly 
frightened  at  the  display  of  firearms.  Kyo  said  the  doctor 
might  shoot  the  others,  but  the  bullets  would  not  hurt  him ; 
that  the  "  kokoyah "  (evil  spirit)  was  kind  to  him,  and  he 
would  never  die.  But  if  the  white  man  killed  the  Innuits 
the  kokoyah  would,  at  Kyo's  command,  "  shad-a-go "  (de- 
stroy) their  vessel,  and  they  would  all  die.  Finally  peace  was 
declared,  and  Kyo  brought  over  his  sealskin  float,  for  which 
he  wanted  wood  to  make  the  ring  of  his  kayak.  I  am  sorry 
for  this  episode,  which  has  brought  about  an  unpleasantness 
with  the  natives. 

Wednesday,  July  13.  At  2.30  this  afternoon,  in  company 
with  Dr.  Cook,  I  left  Redcliffe  on  my  fifteen-mile  walk  to  the 
head  of  the  bay,  which  we  reached  at  eight  o'clock.  Matt 
and  Ikwa,  who  had  preceded  us,  had  a  terrible  time  in  getting 
through.  Half  the  time  they  were  in  water  above  their  waists, 
and  occasionally  they  were  obliged  to  float  themselves  over  on 


170 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


Ikwa's  sealskin  float.  It  was  all  that  Matt  could  do  to  per- 
suade Ikwa  to  continue.  It  began  to  rain  about  ten  P.  M.,  and 
has  rained  lightly  ever  since.  I  fear  the  doctor  did  not  have 
a  pleasant  walk  back. 

Thursday,  July  14.  I  made  a  short  scout  after  duck,  but 
saw  only  a  few  eiders  far  out  on  the  ice.  How  sweet  the  air 
is,  and  how  restful  the  rushing  of  the  streams  as  they  make 
their  way  to  the  shore!  I  feel  the  need  of  rest  and  quiet, 
and  it  is  very  peaceful  here.  When  the  weather  clears  I  shall 
enjoy  the  rambles  over  the  soft  green  moss,  I  know. 

Friday,  July  15.  This  morning  the  sun  was  shining  bright- 
ly, and  had  it  not  been  for  the  mosquitos  the  day  would  have 


been  thoroughly  en- 
joyable. Matt  and  I 
started  about  nine 
A.  M.  to  take  a  look 
at  the  country  beyond 
Boat  Camp,  but  I  find 
it  will  be  impossible  to 
cross  the  glacial  river,  and  yet  I  must  get  to  Tooktoo  Camp 
before  long.  After  lunch  I  took  my  shot-gun  and  started  out 


A  Garden  Spot. —  Greenland  Moss  and  Poppies. 


MY    CAMPING   EXPERIENCE    IN   TOOKTOO   VALLEY     171 

in  the  direction  of  the  hanging  glacier,  where  there  are  a 
number  of  ponds.  In  one  of  these  I  saw  two  long-tailed 
ducks,  but  I  could  only  secure  one.  The  breast  gives  us  one 
meal,  and  the  rest  of  the  bird  stew  for  another.  After  supper 
we  took  a  walk  over  the  hills  toward  the  glacier.  The  even- 
ing was  fine,  the  air  sweet,  the  grass  and  moss  soft,  and  stud- 
ded with  thousands  of  flowers.  In  every  direction  can  be 
heard  either  the  rushing  and  roaring  of  a  glacier  river,  or  the 
rippling  and  swishing  of  some  tiny  stream.  The  snow-bunt- 
ings and  sandpipers  are  hopping  about  and  chirping  merrily, 
and  the  great  golden  ball  is  moving  slowly  along  the  heavens. 
The  inland  ice  seems  to  wear  a  continual  smile,  so  bright  does 
its  surface  appear.  Does  it  wish  to  assure  me  that  all  is  well 
with  the  ones  who  are  traveling  on  its  bosom,  or  is  it  only 
mocking  me?  I  will  try  to  think  the  former. 

Sunday,  July  17.  A  dull,  foggy  day.  The  mosquitos  are 
so  thick  that  it  is  all  but  impossible  to  venture  out. 

Wednesday,  July  20.  Yesterday  at  noon  the  sun  was  shin- 
ing brightly,  and  there  was  a  light  southeast  wind,  enough  to 
keep  the  mosquitos  quiet,  so  I  decided  to  start  for  the  cache 
back  of  Tooktoo  Camp,  in  which  I  wished  to  deposit  a  note 
and  some  canned  goods.  I  knew  it  would  be  a  long  tramp 
around  the  intervening  lake,  but  I  would  be  amply  repaid  if 
my  husband  were  to  return  while  I  was  still  here,  and  find 
the  note,  assuring  him  of  a  welcome  a  few  miles  beyond. 
When  we  reached  the  mouth  of  the  glacial  stream  which 
discharges  into  the  head  of  the  bay,  it  was  low  tide,  and  we 


172  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

made  an  effort  to  ford  it,  thinking  thereby  to  save  a  walk  of 
five  miles.  Matt  stepped  in  and  I  followed.  The  water  felt 
intensely  cold ;  it  was  above  my  kamik-tops,  but  not  above 
my  knees,  and  we  went  on.  When  we  came  to  a  rock  about 
one  fourth  of  the  way  over  I  was  compelled  to  climb  on  it  and 
beat  my  feet  and  legs ;  I  could  not  control  them  any  longer. 
Then  we  again  plunged  into  the  icy  water,  which  now  reached 
above  my  knees.  It  took  us  fifteen  minutes  to  cross,  and  the 
temperature  of  the  water  was  certainly  not  over  35°,  for  large 
and  small  pieces  of  ice  were  floating  about  us.  The  current 
was  in  places  very  strong,  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  boat- 
hook  I  had  taken  with  me,  on  which  to  hoist  a  flag  over  the 
cache,  I  should  have  been  swept  off  my  feet  many  times. 
Once  across,  and  our  wet  stockings  changed  for  dry  ones,  I 
did  not  regret  having  come.  We  found  the  cache  after  some 
little  trouble,  and  I  deposited  the  note,  also  a  can  of  milk,  a 
can  of  fruit,  some  biscuit,  and  a  small  flask  of  brandy,  and 
then  put  up  the  flag. 

We  retraced  our  steps  past  old  Tooktoo  Camp  to  the  mouth 
of  the  river.  Here  we  found  that  the  tide  had  already  risen 
a  foot,  and  we  continued  our  walk  along  the  river-bank  toward 
the  head  of  the  lake.  On  reaching  it  we  found  that  it  com- 
municated with  a  second  lake  by  a  deep,  roaring  torrent,  which, 
although  narrower  than  the  river  below,  was  still  too  wide  and 
deep  to  be  crossed ;  so  on  we  went  till  we  reached  the  end  of 
the  second  lake,  and  here  it  seemed  as  if  we  might  walk  around 
it  by  climbing  along  the  lower  edge  of  two  glaciers,  although 


MY    CAMPING   EXPERIENCE    IN   TOOKTOO    VALLEY     173 

we  were  by  no  means  sure  that  a  raging  stream  did  not  sweep 
down  on  the  other  side.  Great  rocks  were  continually  rolling 
from  the  top  of  the  glaciers,  and  I  did  not  think  it  safe  to 
venture.  The  scene  was  an  impressive  one.  Black  cliffs 
raise  their  heads  over  four  great  white  glaciers,  smooth  as 
marble,  and  at  their  feet  roars  a  furious  torrent,  till  it  merges 
into  a  broad  lake,  which  looks  as  calm  and  unruffled  as  if  this 
stream  were  only  a  drop  in  its  depths.  On  each  side  of  this 
stretch  of  water  the  valley  is  carpeted  with  soft  green  moss 
and  yellow  poppies,  and  fairly  alive  with  the  chirping  and 
flitting  of  birds.  We  tarried  here  quite  a  while.  I  could  not 
make  up  my  mind  to  leave  so  beautiful  a  scene ;  besides,  the 
only  thing  left  for  us  to  do  now  was  to  wait  for  low  tide, 
which  would  be  about  one  A.  M.,  and  then  ford  the  river 
where  we  had  crossed  it  in  the  morning.  It  was  8.45  P.  M. 
when  we  again  reached  the  mouth  of  the  stream.  The  tide 
was  high,  but  falling.  Had  we  had  something  to  eat  we 
should  not  have  minded  the  waiting.  We  kept  moving  in 
order  to  keep  warm,  until  we  thought  that  the  tide  had 
reached  its  ebb.  As  we  neared  the  shore  we  could  see  no 
familiar  line  of  rocks  which  indicated  low  tide,  and  on  closer 
examination  we  were  horrified  to  find  a  "  high  low  tide." 
Still  we  felt  we  must  attempt  to  cross,  and  Matt  started  in, 
while  I  followed  at  his  heels.  The  first  step  was  over  our 
knees,  the  next  came  mid-thigh  on  Matt,  and  then  I  backed 
out,  for  I  knew  that  we  were  not  near  the  deepest  part  yet ; 
besides,  the  current  was  so  strong  that  I  could  hardly  keep 


174  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

my  footing.  We  tried  lower  down,  but  with  the  same  result. 
Even  had  we  made  up  our  minds  to  bear  the  cold  water,  we 
could  not  possibly  have  stood  up  against  the  current.  We 
then  determined  to  try  it  in  the  lake,  but  were  baffled  there  as 
well.  By  this  time  we  were  pretty  well  drenched,  almost  to 
our  waists,  and  yet  the  only  thing  for  us  to  do  was  to  wait  for 
the  noon  low  tide  of  the  morrow.  We  sat  down  on  a  rock, 
took  off  our  stockings  and  kamiks,  and  wrung  the  water  out 
as  best  we  could,  then  put  them  on  again.  I  knew  it  would 
never  do  for  us  to  sleep,  or  even  sit  still  in  our  wet  clothes, 
for  there  is  always  a  cool  breeze  blowing,  and  the  night  tem- 
peratures average  about  40° ;  yet  the  prospect  of  twelve 
hours  more  of  tramping,  when  we  had  already  tramped 
twelve  and  a  half  hours,  with  nothing  to  eat — we  had  only 
had  coffee  and  a  cracker  before  starting  —  and  a  cold  fog  set- 
tling down  upon  us,  was  anything  but  encouraging.  I  sug- 
gested that  we  go  to  the  cache,  where  we  had  left  the  brandy 
and  milk  for  the  inland  ice-party,  and  mix  a  drink  of  some  of 
it,  and  then  begin  the  climb  to  Nunatak  Cache.  This  we  did. 
I  had  my  old  enemy,  the  sick  headache,  brought  on  by  lack 
of  food  and  the  excitement,  and  consequently  every  step  was 
agony,  yet  I  knew  I  must  keep  on.  Thoughts  came  crowd- 
ing in  upon  me  of  my  husband  and  my  mother.  We  walked 
and  walked  until  almost  ready  to  drop  with  hunger,  fatigue, 
and  lack  of  sleep ;  then,  as  we  climbed  above  the  fog  into  the 
warm  sunshine,  we  would  sit  down  a  few  minutes,  wrapping 
our  heads  in  our  handkerchiefs  to  keep  off  the  mosquitos, 


MY    CAMPING   EXPERIENCE    IN   TOOKTOO    VALLEY     175 

which  swarmed  about  us.  As  soon  as  one  of  us  saw  the  other 
dozing  we  pushed  on  again.  In  this  way  we  climbed  through 
the  ravine  and  in  sight  of  Nunatak  Cache,  but  it  was  impos- 
sible for  me  to  go  farther;  my  limbs  trembled  under  me,  and 
refused  to  act  at  my  bidding.  We  returned  to  the  river. 
At  1 1.30  this  morning  the  welcome  line  of  rocks  indicating  low 
tide  made  its  appearance,  and,  to  our  great  relief,  we  found 
that  we  were  able  to  cross  the  stream.  Two  more  thankful 
creatures  never  were  than  we  when  we  found  ourselves  on  dry 
land  on  our  side  of  the  "  kook  "  (river)  again.  We  were  per- 
fectly numb  with  cold  from  mid-thigh  down,  and  so  ran  and 
pounded  our  feet  and  limbs  for  the  three  miles  that  intervened 
between  the  river  and  the  tent,  which  we  reached  in  an  hour. 
Thus  far  we  feel  no  ill  results  from  our  icy  adventure. 

Saturday,  July  23.  The  bay,  which  has  been  perfectly 
clear  of  ice,  except  for  a  few  small  bergs  near  the  glacier,  is 
filled  again,  as  a  result  of  the  tide-wind.  The  white  whales, 
which  have  been  sporting  about  for  a  number  of  days,  are 
shut  out  from  their  playground.  I  tramped  about  nearly  all 
day,  but  did  not  get  near  any  game.  I  never  weary  of  Took- 
too  Valley.  To  me  it  is  a  beautiful  spot,  with  its  river  and 
lakes,  its  glaciers  and  mountains,  its  carpet  of  soft  green  moss, 
its  wealth  of  flowers,  and  its  busy  birds  and  insects.  I  have 
not  heard  from  Redcliffe  since  I  left  there,  over  a  week  ago ; 
no  information  of  any  kind  has  come  to  me. 


CHAPTER   XVI 

"OOMIAKSOAK   TIGALAY  !  "  —  THE    SHIP   HAS   COME! 

An  Eskimo  Messenger  —  "  Oomiaksoak  Tigalay"  (the  Ship  has  come)  —  Letters 
from  Home  —  A  Visit  from  Professor  Heilprin  —  Distressing  Possibilities  — 
The  "Kite"  leaves  for  Smith  Sound — Return  of  the  "Kite"  —  Domestic 
Disturbances  among  the  Natives  —  An  Eskimo  Woman  and  Girl  disappear. 

Sunday,  July  24.  At  five  o'clock  this  morning,  before  I 
was  really  awake,  I  heard  a  sharp,  shrill  whistle,  different 
from  the  notes  of  the  birds  that  usually  awake  me,  and  before 
I  could  quite  satisfy  myself  that  it  was  not  a  bird  I  heard  it 
again,  close  to  the  tent,  and  also  a  footstep.  "  Kiny-ah-una" 
(who  is  there),  I  called.  "Awangah,  oomiaksoak  tigalay  "  (me, 
the  ship  has  come),  was  the  answer.  "Angwo  "  (not  so),  I 
replied.  "  Shagloo  nahme  awangah  "  (me  not  lie),  he  said, 
and  with  this  a  shaggy,  black  head  was  thrust  into  the  tent, 
and  a  bundle  of  mail  tossed  to  me.  The  next  few  hours  are 
a  blank  to  me;  for  I  was  devouring  my  mother's  letter,  which 
took  the  shape  of  a  journal  that  she  had  kept  for  me.  A  few 
words  from  Professor  Heilprin  tell  me  that  he  is  at  Redcliffe 
with  a  party  and  the  old  "  Kite,"  but  he  does  not  say  who  are 
in  the  party.  Now  if  Mr.  Peary  only  gets  back  safe  I  shall 
indeed  be  happy.  All  those  dear  to  me  have  been  spared, 


ROBERT   E.    PEARY,   U.   S.    N. 


"  OOMIAKSOAK   TIGALAY  !  "  — THE    SHIP    HAS    COME!     177 

while  there  has  been  a  great  deal  of  sickness  and  death  every- 
where. 

Monday,  July  25.  This  morning  the  sun  came  out  bright, 
and  he  has  shone  all  day.  After  looking  in  vain  for  the 
inland  ice-party,  and  also  for  a  party  from  the  "  Kite,"  until 
two  P.  M.,  I  retired  to  the  tent  to  escape  the  mosquitos.  I  told 
Matt  he  might  go  down  to  Redcliffe  and  see  the  "  Kite  "  party 
if  he  chose,  but  he  said  he  did  not  care  for  the  walk,  and  would 
take  the  gun  and  go  for  a  stroll.  At  3.30,  feeling  hungry,  I 
went  out  to  see  if  I  could  see  anything  of  him,  in  order  to 
know  whether  I  should  cook  for  one  or  for  two.  Away  off 
near  the  foot  of  the  cliffs  I  saw  a  lone  figure,  which  did  not 
look  like  Matt,  slowly  making  its  way  in  the  direction  of  the 
tent.  I  soon  made  out  Professor  Heilprin.  He  had  walked 
fifteen  miles  to  pay  me  a  visit,  and  we  chatted  for  hours.  It 
did  seem  so  good  to  talk  with  some  one  again  who  had  been 
in  touch  with  civilization.  I  feel  as  though  I  had  been  in 
another  world.  Both  mother  and  brother  urge  me  to  come 
home,  even  if  Mr.  Peary  has  not  returned  from  the  inland  ice 
by  the  time  the  "  Kite  "  is  obliged  to  set  sail  again  for  the 
sunny  south,  and  the  professor  says  his  orders  are  to  "  bring 
Mrs.  Peary  back  under  any  circumstances."  While  I  do  not 
think  there  is  the  slightest  doubt  that  my  husband  will  be 
here  before  the  latter  part  of  August,  and  \vhile  I  fully  believe 
that  if  he  is  not  here  then  he  will  never  come,  yet  I  could 
never  leave  while  there  was  the  faintest  chance  of  his  being 
alive.  I  told  the  professor  just  how  I  felt  about  the  matter, 


178  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

and  he  said,  "Well,  we  will  see  when  the  time  comes."  My 
brother  Emil  writes  that  I  should  have  "  some  consideration 
for  my  friends  and  relatives."  And  what  of  my  husband? 
He  says  further,  "  What  good  can  you  do  Bert  on  the  coast 
while  he  is  on  the  ice?"  Does  he  suppose  that  if  Mr.  Peary 
is  alive  he  will  stay  on  the  ice  the  whole  year  round?  And 
when  he  returns  and  finds  he  is  too  late  for  the  "  Kite,"  will 
that  not  be  disappointment  enough,  without  finding  that  I,  too, 
have  deserted  him?  I  know  just  how  my  dear  ones  at  home 
feel,  and  I  know,  too,  that  they  cannot  long  for  me  any  more 
than  I  long  for  them.  It  will  go  hard  to  remain  —  harder  for 
me  than  for  them,  for  they  will  know  that  I  am  well  and  com- 
fortable ;  and  besides,  they  have  friends  and  acquaintances, 
and  intelligent  and  interesting  employments  and  amusements 
with  which  to  occupy  their  minds  and  time,  while  I  have  only 
a  few  white  men  and  some  uncivilized  people,  together  with 
three  months  of  darkness,  to  make  my  life  pleasant.  Not  a 
very  enviable  existence,  I  am  sure.  As  for  cold,  hardship,  and 
hunger,  that  is  nonsense.  Of  course,  if  I  feel  so  inclined,  I 
can  go  out  and  sit  on  an  iceberg  until  I  freeze  to  it,  and  let 
the  wind  and  snow  beat  upon  me,  even  starve  myself ;  but  my 
tastes  do  not  run  in  that  direction. 

Tuesday,  July  26.  The  "  Kite  "  leaves  to-day  for  Littleton 
Island,  to  be  gone  three  or  four  days.  When  the  professor 
left,  at  2.30  A.  M.,  Matt  had  not  yet  returned;  I  think  he  must 
have  gone  to  the  "  Kite." 

Wednesday,  July  27.     Yesterday  and  to-day  were  bright, 


"  OOMIAKSOAK   TIGALAY!" — THE    SHIP    HAS    COME!      179 

warm  days,  although  the  wind  blew  quite  strong  most  of  the 
time.  Matt  returned  from  the  "Kite"  yesterday  morning, 
bringing  with  him  a  loaf  of  nice  bread,  a  veal  cutlet,  and  a 
flask  of  brandy  sent  by  the  steward  of  the  "  Kite."  Dr.  Cook, 
with  four  Eskimos,  came  up  in  the  "  Mary  Peary  "  this  morn- 
ing, bringing  the  rest  of  the  mail  matter  with  him.  He  also 
brought  me  more  supplies,  but  at  the  same  time  urges  me  to 
return  to  Redcliffe  with  him. 

Saturday,  July  30.  Once  more  back  at  Redcliffe.  After 
considering  the  matter,  I  decided  that  Mr.  Peary  would  wish 
me  to  look  after  things  at  our  home,  and  although  it  was  a 
great  disappointment  for  me  to  leave  before  the  return  of  the 
ice-party,  I  was  forced  to  do  it.  There  has  been  considerable 
excitement  in  our  Eskimo  settlement.  Ikwa  has  beat  Mane 
so  badly  that  she  cannot  come  out  of  her  tent ;  her  head  is 
cut  and  bruised,  and  one  eye  is  completely  closed.  We  know 
of  no  reason  for  this  peculiar  conduct.  Kyo  has  gone  to  Igloo- 
dahominy  in  his  kayak,  the  first  time  during  our  visit  that  an 
Eskimo  has  ventured  across  the  bay  in  a  kayak.  While  he 
was  out  on  a  seal-hunt  early  this  morning,  Klayuh,  his  wife, 
and  Tooky,  her  daughter,  ran  away.  Kyo,  it  is  said,  had 
thrust  a  knife  in  Klayuh's  leg  several  times,  and  he  has 
threatened  to  kill  Tooky.  He  is  now  searching  for  the  fugi- 
tives, but  the  whole  settlement  has  conspired  to  throw  him 
off  the  track.  He  has  already  been  up  to  the  head  of  the 
bay,  and  down  as  far  as  Cape  Cleveland. 

The  "  Kite  "  returned   at   nine  o'clock  yesterday  evening, 


:8o 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


having  penetrated  into  Smith  Sound  to  a  position  opposite 
Force  Bay,  where  it  was  stopped  by  the  unbroken  pack. 
Professor  Heilprin  came  ashore  immediately  after,  and  intro- 
duced to  me  some  of  his  companions.  Dr.  Cook,  who  had 


The  "  Kite"  in  McCormick  Bay. 

made  a  vain  attempt  to  reach  Ittiblu,  returned  at  ten  P.  M. 
this  evening ;  he  found  the  gulf  impassable  owing  to  the  large 
quantities  of  loose  ice  which  had  been  detached  from  the  gla- 
ciers, and  literally  choked  the  basin. 

Thursday,  August  4.      I  have  lived  through  five  days  more 
of  intense  suspense.     The  Eskimos  console  me  by  talking  of 


"  OOMIAKSOAK   TIGALAY  !  "  —  THE    SHIP    HAS   COME!      l8l 

Mr.  Peary  as  "  sinnypoh "  (dead) ;  one  of  them  yesterday 
told  me  that  he  had  dreamt  that  only  one  "  kabloona  "  (white 
man)  would  return  from  the  ice.  To  offset  these  dark  fore- 
bodings, and  keep  my  spirits  from  sinking  too  low,  I  repeat  a 
paragraph  in  Mr.  Peary's  letter,  which  says :  "  I  have  no  doubt 
I  shall  be  with  you  about  August  1st,  but  if  there  should  be 
a  little  delay,  it  will  be  delay  only,  and  not  danger.  I  have  a 
hundred  days'  provisions." 

The  weather  continues  exceptionally  fine,  clear,  bright,  and 
warm.  Professor  Heilprin,  having  determined  to  move  his 
party  to  the  head  of  the  bay,  preparatory  to  a  search  on  the 
inland  ice,  the  "  Kite "  heaved  anchor  at  nine  this  morning, 
and  is  now  lying  opposite  the  point  which  I  only  recently 
deserted.  By  the  professor's  kind  invitation  I  joined  the 
"  Kite  "  party,  and  Matt,  who  has  been  my  steady  guardian 
since  Mr.  Peary's  departure,  accompanies  me. 

Friday,  August  5.  The  entire  relief-party  left  to-day  for 
Nunatak  Cache,  their  object  being  to  plant  stakes  seven  miles 
apart  as  guide-posts  on  the  inland  ice.  I  remained  on  board 
the  "  Kite  "  all  day,  and  shall  retire  early,  if  not  to  sleep,  to 
rest. 


12* 


CHAPTER    XVII 

RETURN    OF   THE    EXPLORERS 

End  of  my  Weary  Waiting — Mr.  Peary  returns  "  on  Time"  —  Experiences  of 
the  Inland  Ice-party  —  The  Great  Greenland  Ice-cap  —  The  "  Kite"  Aground 
—  Landing  through  the  Surf  —  Back  at  Redcliffe — The  Natives  regard  the 
Commander  and  Astrup  as  Supernatural  Beings. 

Saturday,  August  6.  From  a  half-sleep  I  was  roused  early 
this  morning  by  the  plash  of  oars  and  loud  talking,  and  before 
I  had  fully  grasped  the  idea  that  the  professor's  party  had 
returned,  some  one  jumped  over  the  rail  on  the  deck  just 
over  my  head,  and  a  familiar  footstep  made  its  way  hurriedly 
toward  the  companionway.  I  knew  it  was  Mr.  Peary,  but 
was  unable  to  move  or  make  a  sound.  He  came  rushing 
down  the  stairs  and  rattled  at  my  door,  calling  to  me  to  open 
it ;  but  I  seemed  to  be  paralyzed,  and  he  forced  it  open  and 
stood  before  me,  well  and  hearty,  safe  at  last. 

Monday,  August  8.  Back  at  Redcliffe  again,  but  how 
different  everything  seems!  Not  only  is  our  whole  party 
once  more  reunited,  but  there  is  the  little  "  Kite  "  out  in  the 
bay,  ready  to  take  us  south  at  any  time. 

I  have  been  afraid  to  go  to  sleep  since  Mr.  Peary's  return, 
for  fear  I  might  wake  up  and  find  it  all  a  dream ;  besides,  we 


RETURN    OF   THE    EXPLORERS 


had  so  much  to  tell  each  other  that  there  was  no  time  or  incli- 
nation for  sleep.  Mr.  Peary  recounted  to  me  the  events  of  his 
journey ;  how  after  he  sent  Mr.  Gibson  and  Dr.  Cook  back 
to  Redcliffe  from  the  Humboldt  Glacier,  May  24th,  he  and 
Astrup  marched  on  day  after  day,  with  their  magnificent  team 
of  Eskimo  dogs,  which  Astrup  learned  to  handle  as  well  as  a 
native  driver. 

They  encountered  storms  which  kept  them  buried  in  the 
snow  for  days  at  a  time,  but  their  worst  enemies  were  the 
snow-arched  crevasses  which  they  , ,. 
met  just  before  reaching  the  lati- 
tude of  Sherard  Osborne  Fjord. 
These  arches  were  so  treacherous 
that  more  than  once  they  were  on 
them  before  they  were  aware  of 
it,  and  old  Lion  came  very  near 
ending  his  journey 
by  breaking  through 
one  of  them  and 
being  precipitated 
the  full  length  of 
his  trace  into  the 
yawning  chasm. 
Fortunately  the 
trace  was  strong 
enough  to  hold  his 
weight,  and  he  was  The  First  Musk-ox. 


1 84 


MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


pulled  up  none  the  worse  for  his  tumble.     The  loss  of  a  single 
animal  would  have  been  a  calamity  to  the  party. 

On  July  1st  Mr.  Peary  saw  the  loom  of  land  ahead,  and 
thinking  it  only  one  of  the  west-coast  mountains,  changed  his 
course  to  northeast,  and  then  to  east,  hoping  to  be  able  to 
round  it ;  but  after  a  few  days'  further  travel  he  saw  the  land 

still  ahead,  and  then  found 
i  that  it  was  the  northern 
boundary  of  Greenland. 
He  now  decided  to  leave 
his  sledges  and  supplies  at 
the  edge  of  a  moraine,  and, 
with  a  few  days'  rations,  start  over- 
land toward  the  coast.  They  had  not 
gone  far  when  they  came  across  un- 
mistakable signs  of  musk-oxen,  and 
then  upon  the  animals  themselves, 
grazing  in  a  little  valley.  A  few  shots 
from  Mr.  Peary's  rifle  brought  down 
two  of  them.  Then  a  little  baby  musk- 
ox  came  peering  around  a  great  boul- 
der to  learn  the  cause  of  all  the  noise 
and  commotion.  This  was  captured 
alive,  but  the  poor  little  thing  did  not 
survive  its  mother  very  long.  Mr. 
Peary  camped  in  this  lovely  valley,  and  there  feasted  his  dogs 
on  fresh  meat. 


Cairn  on  Navy  Cliff. 
Lat.  81°  37'. 


I 


RETURN    OF   THE    EXPLORERS  185 

These  noble  brutes,  accustomed  all  their  lives  to  raw, 
bloody  meat,  had  been  living  on  dry  pemmican  for  the  past 
two  months,  working  day  after  day  as  they  had  never  worked 
continuously  before.  No  wonder  they  strained  at  their  traces, 
plunging  and  tugging  to  get  loose  and  help  themselves.  As 
quickly  as  one  of  the  musk-oxen  was  skinned  the  body  was 
tossed  within  their  reach,  and  they  pounced  upon  it  with  a 
greediness  which  plainly  showed  how  much  they  longed  for 
the  juicy  meat.  The  explorers  themselves  also  enjoyed  the 
fresh  meat  for  a  change,  but  they  were  glad  to  get  back  to 
pemmican  again  after  a  few  days. 

After  the  dogs  had  been  fed  and  rested,  the  march  across 
the  boulder-strewn  country  toward  the  coast  was  resumed. 
It  ended  July  4th,  when  the  party  came  out  on  a  bluff  on  the 
east  coast,  some  3800  feet  high,  which  overlooked  the  great 
unknown  Arctic  Ocean.  Here  a  couple  of  days  were  spent 
in  making  observations  for  latitude  and  longitude,  in  taking 
photographs  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  in  building  a 
cairn  in  which  to  deposit  the  record  of  their  journey,  and 
then  the  return  march  was  begun.  McCormick  Bay  was 
reached  on  August  6th,  after  an  absence  of  ninety-three  days, 
during  which  time  Mr.  Peary  says  neither  he  nor  Astrup  had 
an  ache  or  a  pain. 

Late  yesterday  afternoon  a  brisk  wind  blew  up  that  made 
the  surf  fly  and  prevented  any  of  us  from  going  ashore.  As 
Professor  Heilprin  was  anxious  to  examine  some  of  the  great 
glaciers,  it  was  decided  that  the  "  Kite  "  remain  at  her  present 


1 86 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


anchorage  until  after  he  had  made  his  examinations  the  next 
day.  This  morning,  however,  the  wind  was  still  blowing,  and 
although  an  attempt  was  made  to  land  a  boat,  it  had  to  be 
abandoned  ;  Captain  Pike,  too,  was  desirous  to  get  the  "  Kite  " 
down  the  bay  before  she  was  blown  on  the  rocks.  Indeed, 
this  was  necessary,  .  ._  .  _ , 

as  the  vessel  had 
already  had  her  nose 
stuck  in  the  mud- 
bank,  and  it  had 
seemed  for  a  time 
that  she  was  in  a 
precarious  position. 
Fortunately  we  escaped  with  the  loss 
of  only  about  eleven  feet  of  the  ves- 
sel's "shoe."  The  incident  was  by 
no  means  pleasing,  and  we  all  felt 
relieved  when  the  vessel  again  rode 
a  straight  keel.  For  hours  we  drifted 
about,  hoping  the  wind  would  go 
down,  but  finally  we  headed  down 
the  bay.  It  was  impossible  to  swing 
the  vessel  inshore  opposite  Red- 
cliff  e,  and  we  were  obliged  to  pass  our  home  and  continue 
to  Cape  Cleveland.  Here  again  we  could  find  no  sheltered 
nook  where  it  would  be  safe  to  land  a  boat,  and  we  sailed 
back  and  forth  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  the  captain 


Looking  down  over  the 
Arctic  Ocean. 


RETURN  OF  THE  EXPLORERS  187 

thought  that  we  might  land  in  the  lee  of  the  great  cliffs  just 
east  of  Cape  Cleveland.  The  boat  was  put  in  charge  of  the 
second  mate,  who,  with  the  three  strongest  sailors,  pulled  Mr. 
Peary,  Astrup,  and  myself  to  the  shore,  a  distance  of  perhaps 
half  a  mile.  We  got  along  well  in  spite  of  the  great  billows 
until  we  reached  the  shore,  where,  before  we  could  make  a 
landing,  two  waves  in  rapid  succession  broke  over  our  boat, 
almost  filling  it  with  water,  and  nearly  swamping  us.  I  was 
completely  drenched. 

Just  before  reaching  Cripple  Point  we  were  met  by  Dr. 
Cook,  Verhoeff,  and  Gibson,  anxious  to  greet  the  inland  ice- 
party,  of  whose  return  they  had  been  apprised  by  Matt.  It 
was  very  curious  to  watch  the  expressions  on  the  faces  of  the 
natives,  who  stood  in  groups  about  Redcliffe  House  staring 
at  Mr.  Peary  and  Astrup  as  they  approached.  When  they 
were  spoken  to  they  answered  in  low,  frightened  tones,  and 
they  could  not  be  induced  to  come  forward  and  shake  hands, 
or  in  any  way  come  in  contact  with  the  two,  until  they  were 
convinced  that  they  were  really  human  beings,  and  not  great 
spirits  come  down  from  the  ice-cap.  Then  they  were  very 
anxious  to  know  if  Mr.  Peary  had  seen  the  spirits  of  the 
departed  Eskimos,  what  they  lived  on,  how  they  looked,  and 
all  about  them.  They  were  very  much  surprised  not  only  to 
see  the  dogs  return  alive,  but  to  see  them  in  much  better 
condition  than  when  they  left,  as  they  had  repeatedly  said 
the  Americans  did  not  know  how  to  feed  the  Eskimo  dog,  and 
he  would  soon  starve  under  their  treatment.  Now  they  have 


188 


perfect  confidence  in  Mr.  Peary,  and  say  they  would  go  any- 
where with  him,  even  on  the  ice-cap,  because  they  do  not 
believe  he  would  let  the  evil  spirit  harm  them. 

Mr.  Peary  has  decided  to  start  on  a  trip  up  Inglefield  Gulf 
to-morrow.      His  purpose  is  to  verify  some  of  the  observations 

made  by  us  on  our 
April  sledge  trip,  to 
take  photographs  of 
the  landscape  in  its 
summer  dress,  and  to 
secure  ethnological 
specimens  at  Karnah 
and  Nunatochsoah 
that  were  promised 
us  by  the  natives  of 
those  places.  We  ex- 
pect to  return  within 
a  week,  and  then 
everything  will  be 
put  on  board  the 
good  ship  "  Kite," 
and  we  shall  bid  adieu  to  our  Arctic  home  and  the  dear  old 
huskies,  who,  even  if  they  are  not  particularly  clean,  have 
been  our  faithful  friends,  and  will,  I  am  sure,  never  forget  us. 


Astrup's  Musk-lamb. 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

BOAT   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF 

The  Sculptured  Cliffs  of  Karnah  —  Luxuriant  Vegetation  —  Stormy  Weather  — 
Anniversary  Camp  —  My  Kahlillowah  —  Crossing  the  Gulf  in  a  Tempest  — 
The  Shelter  of  Academy  Bay  —  Fury  of  the  Arctic  Winds  —  An  Iceberg  Break- 
water—  We  reach  Karnah  again — Rounding  Cape  Cleveland  —  Fighting  for 
Life  and  Shelter  —  Safe  at  Redcliffe. 

The  weather  was  not  very  encouraging  as  we  started  from 
Redcliffe  House  on  Tuesday,  August  9,  the  strong  wind  of 
the  two  previous  days  having  brought  up  heavy  storm-clouds, 
which  now  hid  the  sun  and  hung  threateningly  overhead.  It 
was  just  about  noon  when  we  left  the  beach  at  Redcliffe,  the 
light  "  Mary  Peary  "  shooting  rapidly  along  with  the  strokes  of 
the  six  Eskimo  boatmen,  and  in  a  short  time  we  had  rounded 
Cape  Cleveland  and  started  eastward  up  the  gulf.  The  scene 
before  us  was  very  different  from  what  it  had  been  ten  months 
previously,  when  we  made  our  first  attempt.  There  were  then 
numerous  pans  and  streams  of  ice,  with  the  new  ice  rapidly 
cementing  them  together;  the  land  itself  was  covered  with 
snow,  and  the  ice-foot  had  already  commenced  to  form  on 
the  beach.  Now  there  was  only  an  occasional  fragment  of 
ice,  though  the  great  bergs  were  numerous.  The  mountains 

189 


IQO  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

of  the  shore  were  rich  with  the  warm  hues  of  summer.  Late 
in  the  afternoon  a  favoring  wind  came  up  from  the  west,  and 
with  foresail  hoisted  we  moved  merrily  along  before  it.  Re- 
lieved thus  from  their  labors,  our  crew  lounged  contentedly 
upon  the  seats,  and  fell  into  a  conversational  mood.  Mr.  Peary 
learned  from  them  that  many  years  ago  Mekhtoshay  had  shot 
an  "  amarok,"  or  wolf,  at  Netchiolumy,  and  that  Panikpah  had 
killed  one  at  Nerki ;  Koomenahpik  and  Mekhtoshay,  who  are 
brothers,  also  related  that  years  ago  they  had  both  seen 
"  oomingmuk  "  (musk-oxen),  "  awahne,  awahne,  Etah  "  (far 
beyond  Etah). 

At  half-past  six  in  the  evening  we  reached  Karnah,  a  small 
Eskimo  settlement  on  the  north  shore  of  the  sound,  some 
twenty  miles  from  Cape  Cleveland.  Here  the  low,  flat  shore 
ends,  and  a  line  of  towering  gray  cliffs  begins.  We  pitched 
our  tent  on  a  level  bit  of  grass  among  the  stones,  and  after 
our  evening  meal  was  completed  we  crossed  the  noisy  glacial 
stream  flowing  near  the  village,  climbed  the  hill  just  west  of 
it,  and  then  followed  the  shore  westward  till  we  came  to  the 
stone  igloos  of  Karnah  the  deserted.  Four  houses  form  this 
village,  which  lies  in  the  center  of  a  beautiful  grassy  meadow, 
stretching  back  from  the  shore  to  the  foot  of  the  brown  moun- 
tains. The  luxuriance  of  the  grass  here  was  wonderful.  All 
across  the  meadow  we  waded  through  it,  literally  knee-deep, 
and  in  one  or  two  places  immediately  about  the  igloos  it  was 
so  rank  that  as  I  stooped  to  gather  some  sprays  for  pressing 
I  was  almost  hidden.  Returning  to  our  tent,  we  were  soon 


BOAT   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  IQI 

lulled  to  sleep  by  the  boisterous  music  of  the  glacial  stream. 
During  the  night  it  snowed  lightly,  and  when  we  awoke  the 
ground  was  covered  with  a  white  mantle,  which,  however, 
soon  disappeared. 

Leaving  Karnah  on  the  morning  of  the  loth,  for  three  or 
four  hours  we  threaded  our  way  through  bergs  and  great 
cakes  of  blue  ice,  past  the  giant  cliffs  of  Karnah,  with  their 
great  bastions,  towers,  chimneys,  and  statues,  carved  by  the 
Arctic  storms  from  the  gray  sandstone,  the  breeding-places 
of  black  guillemots,  burgomaster  gulls,  and  white  falcons.  As 
we  passed  along  our  Eskimo  boatmen  pointed  out  to  us  the 
striking  figures,  all  of  heroic  size,  looming  against  the  sky  far 
up  the  cliffs,  and  told  us  that  such  and  such  a  one  was  a 
woman,  and  such  another  a  man,  and  that  the  cliffs  them- 
selves were  known  as  "  innuchen "  (statue  rocks).  There 
would  be  wide  scope  here  for  the  imaginative  genius  who 
has  given  the  nomenclature  to  the  rocks  in  the  Garden  of 
the  Gods.  All  this  time  it  was  raining  in  fierce  showers, 
and  we  rounded  the  point  of  the  bay  east  of  Karnah  in  the 
face  of  one  of  them.  A  number  of  deer  were  seen  quietly 
grazing  in  the  valleys.  A  fresh  wind  came  up  from  the 
south,  and  we  went  dashing  up  the  bay,  with  the  foam  fly- 
ing from  the  bow  of  the  boat,  and  a  boiling  white  wake 
behind  us.  We  landed  on  a  sandy  beach  near  the  head  of 
the  bay.  While  the  tent  was  being  pitched  and  the  boat 
hauled  out  of  the  water  a  school  of  white  whales  ("  kahkok- 
tah  ")  came  puffing  and  sporting  into  the  cove,  and  Koomen- 


1 92 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


ahpik  immediately  went  out  in  his  kayak,  which  we  had  in 
tow,  after  them.      He  remained  out  for  an  hour,  but  as  the 

result  of  cautiousness,  either  on  his 
part   or   on   the  part  of  the  whales, 
he  did  not  succeed  in  getting  near 
enough    to    use    his    harpoon,    and 
returned    unsuccessful.      The    view 
from  our  camp  was  very  impressive. 
Facing    us,    and    forming    nearly    a 
semicircle,  was  a  great  glacier ;   just 
across    the    cove    a    great    nunatak 
reared  its  brown  mass  above  the  ice, 
and     everywhere    the 
cliffs  were  of  a  warm 
red  and  brown  color- 
ing, a  marked  contrast 
to   the   wintry  shores 
of  Herbert  and  North- 
umberland       islands, 
and     to     the     chilly, 
gray    sandstone    cliffs 
of  Karnah.     Our  tent 
was  pitched  just  above 

high-water  mark   beside   a   little   stream    whose   banks   were 
actually  yellow  with  Arctic  poppies. 

The  heavy  showers  continued  through  the  night,  and  we 
waited  until  noon  of  the  I  ith  for  them  to  cease.     Verhoeff  was 


Pillar  of  Sandstone. 


BOAT   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  1 93 

out  after  specimens  until  after  midnight,  and  then,  returning, 
slept  in  the  boat.  He  left  us  at  this  point  to  join  Gibson  in 
Tooktoo  Valley.  Crossing  over  to  the  eastern  side  of  the  bay, 
we  found  a  beautiful  rock-protected  cove,  with  a  stream  flow- 
ing into  it  from  a  valley  above.  While  Mr.  Peary  climbed  to 
the  top  of  a  rock  to  obtain  some  bearings,  I  took  my  rifle  and 
started  up  the  valley  in  search  of  deer.  In  a  short  time  I  had 
shot  two.  One  of  them  I  brought  down  at  long  range  while 
he  was  running  at  full  speed.  As  this  day  was  the  anniver- 
sary of  our  wedding,  we  celebrated  it  mildly  with  a  milk 
punch  and  fried  liver  from  the  deer  which  I  had  shot.  Here, 
midway  between  the  Arctic  Circle  and  the  Pole,  we  were  in 
a  veritable  garden  spot.  Vines  and  plants  and  flowers  run 
and  grow  in  luxuriant  abundance  over  and  in  the  crevices  of 
the  rocks.  The  stream  which  empties  into  the  cove  comes 
from  a  beautiful  mirror-like  lake  set  in  a  grassy  meadow  only 
a  short  distance  up  the  valley,  and  over  the  protecting  ledge 
to  the  west  come  the  continuous  thunder  and  groanings  of 
the  great  glacier. 

Continuing  our  exploration,  we  arrived,  through  wind,  snow, 
and  rain,  at  the  precipitous  island  which  lies  near  the  eastern 
extremity  of  the  gulf.  Here,  in  the  angle  of  the  island  and  a 
huge  glacier,  in  which  it  was  partially  buried,  we  pitched  the 
tent,  though  not  without  protest  from  the  natives,  who  said 
that  the  waves  from  an  iceberg  breaking  off  the  glacier  might 
smash  the  boat  and  swamp  the  camp.  While  we  were  at 
dinner  Koomenahpik  raised  the  alarm  of  "  kahlillowah,"  and 


194  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

looking  out  we  saw  two  narwhal  among  the  bergs,  a  large  one 
and  a  small  one.  We  immediately  pulled  out  for  the  animals. 
As  we  approached,  the  larger  of  the  two  disappeared,  but  we 
were  able  to  get  near  enough  to  the  other  one  for  me  to  put  a 
bullet  through  its  head ;  then  Koomenahpik  drove  a  harpoon 
into  its  back,  and  after  a  short  struggle  we  had  it  in  tow  for  the 
camp.  The  next  morning  we  found  my  prize  high  and  dry 
on  the  rocks,  a  great  mottled,  misshapen  mass  of  flesh,  with  a 
gleaming  ivory  horn,  straight  as  an  arrow,  and  almost  as  sharp 
as  a  stiletto,  projecting  straight  out  from  its  nose.  It  was  a 
wonderful  sight  to  me,  who  never  before  had  seen  the  nar- 
whal, the  fabled  ancestor  of  the  unicorn.  I  could  not  gaze  at 
it  sufficiently. 

When  we  started  off  again,  in  the  afternoon  of  August  I4th, 
our  boat  was  loaded  down  almost  to  the  gunwales  with  our 
trophies  of  narwhal  and  reindeer,  the  tents,  and  other  equip- 
ment. The  morning's  promise  of  pleasant  weather  had  not 
been  fulfilled.  Heavy  black  clouds  were  gathering  thick  and 
fast,  and  by  the  time  we  had  reached  the  southern  end  of  the 
island  it  was  raining  steadily.  As  we  ran  out  from  the  lee  of 
the  island  the  full  force  of  the  now  furious  northeast  gale  struck 
us,  and  we  were  pelted  mercilessly  with  sheets  of  water.  It  was 
a  wild  scene,  with  the  sullen,  spectral  glare  of  the  great  glaciers 
north  and  east  of  us  beneath  the  pall  of  black  clouds,  the  wind 
howling  over  us  as  if  it  would  pick  us  bodily  out  of  the  water, 
and  the  black  cliffs  at  the  mouth  of  Academy  Bay,  our  desti- 
nation, mere  shadows,  felt  rather  than  seen  through  the  rain 


BOAT   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  195 

full  twenty  miles  to  the  south.  The  gulf  was  full  of  great 
bergs  and  masses  of  hard  blue  ice,  the  outflow  from  the  gla- 
ciers, through  the  mazes  of  which  we  were  obliged  to  pick 
our  way ;  yet  they  were  our  friends,  for  they  kept  the  water 
smooth  in  spite  of  the  raging  wind,  and  gave  us  now  and  then 
a  shelter,  behind  which  we  could  stop  for  a  few  moments  and 
catch  our  breath  before  striking  out  again  into  the  furious 
blast.  Fortunately,  the  wind  was  partly  in  our  favor;  in 
spite  of  our  tortuous  course  we  made  rapid  progress,  and  in 
four  hours  were  abreast  of  the  group  of  islands  down  in  the 
southeast  corner  of  the  gulf,  which  we  had  visited  in  April 
during  our  sledge  trip.  From  here  to  Tawanah's  igloo  at 
the  mouth  of  the  bay  was  the  critical  part  of  our  voyage. 
This  distance  was  entirely  free  of  ice,  and  though  only  five  or 
six  miles  in  width,  the  force  of  the  wind  was  such  that  the 
whitecaps  were  rushing  madly  across  it  as  we  came  out  from 
under  the  shelter  of  the  islands.  With  just  a  bit  of  the  fore- 
sail up  to  enable  the  boat  to  run  away  from  the  waves,  and 
two  oars  ready  to  be  dropped  instantly  into  the  rowlocks,  in 
case  of  necessity,  we  dashed  madly  along,  with  every  now  and 
then  the  top  of  a  wave  coming  in  over  the  stern  of  the  boat, 
and  striking  Mr.  Peary  and  myself  in  the  back  with  a  resound- 
ing whack.  More  than  once  my  teeth  involuntarily  closed 
more  firmly  as  I  saw  a  mad  white  crest  rushing  down  upon 
us,  but  our  little  craft  rode  the  waves  like  a  duck,  and  we 
finally  shot  under  the  lee  of  the  point  at  Tawanah's  igloo. 
As  the  boat  sped  along  through  the  placid  water  and  the  sail 


196  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

flapped  against  the  mast  in  the  eddy  of  wind  under  the  point, 
every  one  breathed  a  sigh  of  relief. 

In  spite  of  the  fury  of  the  storm  out  in  the  gulf,  here  in  the 
bay  under  the  steep  shore  everything  was  calm  and  quiet.  The 
mast  and  sail  were  taken  down  and  the  oars  run  out,  and  our 
native  crew  settled  down  to  work  again,  glad  to  warm  them- 
selves by  exercise.  Suddenly,  however,  the  wind,  with  the 
perverseness  common  to  winds  in  these  Arctic  regions,  came 
rushing  out  of  the  bay,  meeting  us  full  in  the  face,  and  making 
it  almost  impossible  for  the  men  to  make  head  against  it.  But 
Mr.  Peary  spurred  them  on,  and  by  hugging  the  shore  we 
succeeded,  with  the  aid  of  the  tide,  in  reaching  a  little  island 
about  half-way  up  the  bay,  opposite  which,  despite  the  high 
waves,  we  effected  a  landing.  We  had  the  utmost  difficulty 
in  setting  up  our  tent,  but  we  at  last  got  the  better  of  the 
hurricane  by  securing  the  bottom  of  the  tent  all  around  with 
huge  stones. 

Never  before  had  I  understood  the  power  of  the  wind.  To 
add  to  its  terrifying  effect,  it  did  not  blow  steadily  now,  as 
when  it  first  commenced,  but  came  in  frightful  gusts  with 
intervals  of  calm  between.  For  perhaps  a  minute  or  two  it 
would  be  absolutely  still,  the  black  cliffs  across  the  bay  would 
loom  up  in  perfect  distinctness,  and  every  intonation  of  the 
waves,  dashing  upon  the  rocks,  could  be  heard ;  then  a  rush- 
ing white  wall  would  spring  into  view  around  the  bend  of  the 
bay  a  mile  or  so  above  us,  an  ominous  murmur  would  be  heard, 
rapidly  increasing  in  volume  and  intensity,  until,  with  a  roar, 


BOAT   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  197 

the  Arctic  blast  was  upon  us,  literally  cutting  the  tops  off  the 
waves  and  hurling  them  in  solid  masses  of  water  far  up  the 
cliffs.  The  icebergs  went  tearing  out  of  the  bay  like  ships  in 
a  ten-knot  breeze.  A  number  of  these  bergs  sailed  in  toward 
our  little  island,  and,  grounding  at  the  upper  end  of  the 
channel,  formed  a  complete  breakwater.  When  the  wild  gusts 
struck  these  great  bergs  they  rocked  and  groaned,  flung  them- 
selves at  each  other  with  thunderous  crash,  reeling  backward 
shattered  and  split  from  the  shock,  while  all  the  time  the 
waves  dashed  against  their  outer  faces,  climbed  in  white  jets 
clear  to  their  tops,  and  fell  in  intermittent  cataracts  into  the 
waters  of  our  little  harbor.  It  seemed  as  if  we  were  at  the 
very  gates  of  the  Hyperborean  Inferno.  All  night  long  this 
struggle  continued,  the  flying  spray  from  the  iceberg  break- 
water dashing  against  the  tent,  drenching  it  and  all  its  con- 
tents. Mr.  Peary  and  Matt  spent  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  in  holding  up  the  tent-poles. 

By  morning  the  storm  had  exhausted  its  fury,  and  we  were 
on  our  journey  once  more.  But  heavy  weather  soon  set  in 
again,  and  a  disagreeable  drizzle  continued  throughout  the 
night  and  the  greater  part  of  the  following  day.  We  made 
a  bee-line  diagonally  across  the  gulf  to  Karnah,  the  castellated 
cliffs  of  which  could  just  be  discerned  through  the  gray  mist 
which  hung  low  over  the  water.  Head  winds  and  a  contrary 
flood-tide  made  our  progress  slow,  and  it  was  only  after  a  long 
and  weary  day  of  hard  work  for  the  men  at  the  oars,  and  of 
wet  and  cold  and  cramp  for  those  in  the  stern  of  the  boat, 


198  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

that  we  touched  the  northern  shore  a  few  miles  above  Karnah, 
where  we  gladly  availed  ourselves  of  the  opportunity  to  jump 
out  and  stretch  our  stiffened  limbs.  It  was  our  intention  to 
camp  here  for  the  night,  but  after  the  refreshing  effects  of  a 
hot  dinner,  with  ample  draughts  of  tea,  every  one  felt  so  much 
better,  although  thoroughly  tired  out,  that  we  determined  to 
push  on  to  Redcliffe.  As  we  neared  Cape  Cleveland  the  wind 
blew  a  gale,  but  now,  for  the  first  time,  it  was  in  our  favor, 
and  Mr.  Peary  ordered  up  both  sails.  Under  Matt's  skilful 
guidance  we  went  flying  past  the  cliffs  for  the  mouth  of 
McCormick  Bay,  dodging  the  hard  blue  lumps  of  ice,  some 
of  which  could  not  be  seen  until  we  were  almost  upon  them, 
frightening  a  herd  of  walrus  into  which  we  dashed  unexpect- 
edly, and  then  at  last  whirled  round  the  point  at  Cape  Cleve- 
land into  an  eddy  of  quiet  wind  and  water.  Scarcely  had  we 
rounded  the  Cape,  however,  when  Mr.  Peary's  eye  saw  another 
one  of  those  white  squalls  rushing  down  upon  us  from  Tooktoo 
Valley,  and  there  was  just  time  to  get  the  masts  and  sails 
down,  and  the  men  to  the  oars  with  feet  braced  against  the 
seats  and  backs  straining  to  the  bending  ash-blades,  when  the 
squall  was  upon  us.  The  wind  tore  off  the  tops  of  the  waves 
and  dashed  them  in  our  faces  until  it  was  impossible  to  see. 
When  the  gusts  were  at  their  height  the  men  could  only  hold 
their  own  and  prevent  the  boat  from  being  blown  backward 
out  into  the  sound,  while  in  the  intervals  between  they  man- 
aged to  gain  a  little,  and  in  this  way  we  crept  along  inch  by 
inch  toward  the  sheltered  beach  on  which  we  had  landed  from 


BOAT   JOURNEY    INTO    INGLEFIELD    GULF  199 

the  "  Kite  "  a  week  before.  Suddenly,  just  as  we  came  abreast 
of  the  place  where  a  still  remaining  portion  of  the  ice-foot 
formed  an  ugly  overhanging  shelf,  under  which  the  waves 
broke  furiously,  Kulutingwah's  oar  snapped  short  off,  and 
Kulutingwah  himself,  with  a  wild  cry,  pitched  backward  into 
the  bottom  of  the  boat  In  the  momentary  confusion  which 
followed,  the  boat  began  drifting  rapidly  under  the  shelf,  when 
Mr.  Peary  seized  the  oar  of  the  man  nearest  him  and  urged 
every  one  to  his  utmost,  at  the  same  time  shouting  to  Kulu- 
tingwah to  jump  for  the  bow  of  the  boat  and  throw  the  grap- 
nel out.  With  understanding  quickened  by  fear,  the  Eskimo 
carried  out  the  order  almost  as  soon  as  it  was  uttered,  and 
with  all  still  tugging  at  the  oars  to  ease  the  strain  upon  the 
anchor-rope,  the  boat  settled  slowly  back  inch  by  inch,  until 
finally  she  stopped  so  near  the  wicked  blue  shelf  of  ice  that  I 
could  touch  it  with  my  hand.  This  respite  gave  us  a  chance 
to  recover  our  breath,  and  enabled  Mr.  Peary  to  make  a  change 
in  the  disposition  of  the  men.  In  the  intervals  between  the 
gusts  the  oars  slowly  and  painfully  worked  the  boat  ahead, 
and  before  the  next  squall  struck  us  the  grapnel  was  thrown 
over,  and  every  one  crouched  low  in  the  boat,  to  present  as 
little  surface  as  possible  to  the  wind.  In  this  way,  with  the 
woman  Armah  crying  and  screaming  in  the  bottom  of  the 
boat,  and  the  faces  of  the  men  a  dingy  white,  we  at  last 
reached  the  coveted  beach.  So  deafening  was  the  roar  of  the 
wind  that  we  could  hardly  hear  each  other's  voices.  Leaving 
Kulutingwah  to  watch  the  boat,  we  made  our  way  to  Redcliffe. 


CHAPTER    XIX 

FAREWELL   TO    GREENLAND 

Alarm  about   Mr.  Verhoeff  —  A   Search  Instituted  —  Alone  with  Matt  and  the 
Native  Women  —  No  News  —  Return  of  the   Search-parties  —  Poor  Verhoeff 

—  Packing  up  —  I  play  Lady  Bountiful  —  Pennsylvania's  Gifts  to  the  Natives 

—  Farewell  to  Redcliffe  —  Fossil-hunting  at  Atanekerdluk  —  Godhavn  revisited 

—  Godthaab  —  Eskimo  Kayakers  —  Fire-swept  St.  John's  —  Arrival  at  Phila- 
delphia —  Home  again. 

Thursday,  August  18.  When  we  rejoined  our  men  at  mid- 
night we  learned  from  Dr.  Cook  that  Verhoeff,  who  left  us  at 
Bowdoin  Bay,  had  not  yet  returned,  and  that  Gibson  and  Mr. 
Bryant,  the  second  in  command  of  Professor  Heilprin's  party, 
were  in  Five-Glacier  Valley  searching  for  him.  Verhoeff, 
after  having  joined  Gibson,  left  him  at  the  valley  for  a  fur- 
ther search  after  minerals,  and  his  last  words  were,  "  If  I  am 
not  here  don't  be  worried ;  I  may  be  gone  till  Tuesday  or 
Wednesday." 

Before  retiring  Mr.  Peary  sent  a  note  on  board  the  "  Kite," 
informing  Professor  Heilprin  of  our  return,  and  stating  that 
we  should  be  ready  to  say  farewell  to  Redcliffe  the  next  day. 
Soon  after  breakfast  this  morning  Mr.  Peary  began  getting 
the  boxes  and  barrels  of  specimens  ready  for  shipment,  while 


FAREWELL    TO    GREENLAND  2OI 

I  took  charge  of  the  household  effects,  provisions,  etc.  While 
we  were  thus  occupied  our  boat  was  seen  coming  from  Five- 
Glacier  Valley.  When  it  had  approached  near  enough  for 
us  to  distinguish  the  occupants,  we  saw  there  were  only  two 
white  men  in  it  —  Gibson  and  Mr.  Bryant.  Gibson  told  us 
that  they  had  waited  at  the  appointed  place  until  their  pro- 
visions gave  out,  and  then  had  taken  a  scout  up  the  valley 
for  some  distance,  but  had  seen  no  sign  of  Verhoeff.  They 
left  a  note  for  him,  intending  to  return  for  a  further  search. 

We  now  began  to  feel  grave  apprehensions  regarding  the 
missing  man,  and  a  vigorous  search  was  immediately  deter- 
mined upon.  Mr.  Peary  set  to  work  to  provision  the  boat; 
then,  summoning  about  him  all  the  native  men,  who  are  as 
expert  as  our  Indians  in  following  a  trail,  he  told  them  that 
they  must  go  with  him  to  Five-Glacier  Valley  and  look  for 
Verhoeff,  promising  a  rifle  and  ammunition  to  the  man  who 
should  first  discover  him.  Professor  Heilprin  then  suggested 
that  while  Mr.  Peary  and  his  men  went  up  McCormick  Bay 
to  the  mouth  of  the  valley,  he  and  his  party  should  go  round 
in  the  "  Kite  "  to  the  head  of  the  valley  in  Robertson  Bay ; 
and  it  was  so  decided,  and  the  Eskimos  were  divided  between 
the  two  parties.  I  remained  at  Redcliffe  with  Matt  and  the 
native  women  and  children. 

At  two  o'clock  the  search-parties  left,  and  I  turned  my 
attention  once  more  to  packing.  The  women  stood  around 
me,  devoured  with  curiosity  as  to  what  I  would  do  with  all 
these  things,  and  plying  me  with  questions  as  to  whose  hus- 


202  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

band  would  win  the  coveted  prize.  They  would  not  believe 
that  I  did  not  know,  because  I  had  known  that  Mr.  Peary  and 
Astrup  would  return  from  the  inland  ice. 

Friday,  August  19.  The  day  is  not  a  promising  one;  dark 
clouds  are  gathering  and  the  air  seems  oppressive.  I  trust 
that  the  search-parties  will  find  Mr.  Verhoeff  to-day,  for  he 
must  be  running  short  of  provisions  by  this  time.  We  calcu- 
lated that  what  he  had  could  by  economizing  be  made  to  last 
him  through  Wednesday,  and  to-day  is  Friday.  There  is  no 
sign  of  boat  or  ship. 

Most  of  our  provisions  are  stowed  away  on  the  "  Kite," 
among  them  all  the  fresh  meat ;  in  the  excitement  we  forgot 
to  get  any  out  for  our  use,  and  to-day  we  are  living  on  crack- 
ers and  coffee. 

Sunday,  August  21.  When  this  morning's  fog  lifted  at 
noon,  the  "  Kite  "  was  seen  off  Five-Glacier  Valley.  All  day 
yesterday  we  watched  for  her  and  waited  for  some  news,  but 
heard  and  saw  nothing.  Seeing  the  vessel,  I  supposed  of 
course  that  Verhoeff  had  been  found,  and  the  "  Kite  "  had 
gone  round  to  the  valley  to  pick  up  the  rest  of  the  party. 

After  hours  of  watching  we  saw  the  "  Kite  "  get  up  steam 
and  head  down  the  bay  toward  Redcliffe,  and  late  in  the  after- 
noon she  stopped  opposite  our  house,  and  the  professor  came 
off  to  me  in  a  boat,  only  to  bring  the  distressing  news  that 
nothing  had  been  seen  or  heard  of  Verhoeff.  Mr.  Peary 
was  then  exploring  the  shore  from  the  mouth  of  the  valley 
around  Cairn  Point  to  the  head  of  Robertson  Bay,  where  it 


FAREWELL   TO    GREENLAND  203 

was  intended  that  the  "  Kite "  should  join  him.  Another 
party  were  making  thorough  search  through  the  valley.  After 
leaving  me  some  provisions  the  "  Kite  "  continued  on  her  way 
to  Robertson  Bay. 

Tuesday,  August  23.  We  have  had  no  tidings  from  the 
search-parties  since  the  "  Kite  "  left  us  Sunday  evening.  I 
am  very  much  afraid  that  we  shall  never  see  our  lost  compan- 
ion alive  again.  The  weather  since  he  has  been  in  the  field 
has  been  exceptionally  cold,  raw,  and  wet,  and  he  was  clothed 
very  lightly ;  besides,  his  food  must  have  given  out  some  days 
ago.  The  natives  all  agree  that  no  one  could  have  slept  with- 
out shelter  in  the  furious  gales  which  we  have  had  lately, 
clothed  as  lightly  as  Verhoeff  was ;  and  as  they  have  the 
experience  which  we  lack,  I  cannot  help  feeling  that  there  is 
truth  in  what  they  say,  so  to-night  I  go  to  bed  with  a  heavy 
heart.  With  the  dark  winter  night  passed  in  safety  and  com- 
fort, and  the  long  sledge  journey  accomplished  successfully,  it 
seems  sad  indeed  that  we  should  now,  on  the  eve  of  our  de- 
parture, meet  with  so  great  a  loss. 

Wednesday,  August  24.  About  two  o'clock  this  morning 
Mane  came  running  in  to  me  with  the  news  that  the  ship  was 
coming,  and  I  at  once  went  out  on  the  beach  to  await  her.  In 
half  an  hour  she  dropped  anchor,  and  Mr.  Peary,  with  the  other 
members  of  our  party,  came  ashore  bringing  the  sad  tidings 
that  Verhoeff' s  footprints  had  been  found  and  traced  upon 
a  great  glacier  which  was  cut  by  numberless  wicked-looking 
crevasses,  and  there  lost.  After  searching  the  glacier  in  every 


2O4  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

direction  without  success,  there  was  no  doubt  left  that  poor 
Verhoeff  had  lost  his  life  in  an  effort  to  cross  the  ice-stream. 
Mr.  Peary  cached  enough  provisions  to  last  one  man  a  year, 
at  Cairn  Point,  in  case  Verhoeff  should,  in  some  miraculous 
way,  return  after  the  "Kite's"  departure. 

It  was  with  a  feeling  akin  to  homesickness  that  I  took  the 
pictures  and  ornaments  from  the  walls  of  our  little  room,  pulled 
down  the  curtains  from  the  windows  and  bed,  had  Matt  pack 
the  books  and  nail  them  up,  sorted  the  things  on  the  bed,  and 
packed  those  I  wanted  to  keep.  The  tins  and  cooking  utensils 
I  put  on  the  stone  and  turf  wall  just  outside  of  my  room  pre- 
vious to  distributing  them  among  the  natives. 

My  trunk  packed  and  removed,  the  carpet  up  and  the  cur- 
tains down,  the  improvised  bookcase  taken  to  pieces,  and  it 
was  hard  to  imagine  that  this  dismantled  room  had  once  been 
as  snug  and  comfortable  as  any  boudoir  in  the  world.  Could 
the  walls  talk  they  would  tell  of  some  very  pleasant  hours 
spent  there  by  the  members  of  the  North  Greenland  Expe- 
dition of  1891—92,  and  of  many  months  of  real  solid  comfort 
and  happiness  enjoyed  by  the  woman  who,  when  she  left  home 
and  friends,  was  told  over  and  over  again  that  she  must  ex- 
pect to  endure  all  kinds  of  hardships,  to  suffer  agony  from 
that  dreaded  Arctic  enemy,  scurvy,  etc. 

I  next  turned  my  attention  to  the  various  articles  put  aside 
for  the  Eskimos,  and  after  sorting  them  over  I  called  all  the 
women  in  the  settlement  to  me,  and  stood  them  in  a  row. 
There  were  nine  among  them,  including  the  two  brides  (mere 


FAREWELL  TO  GREENLAND 


2O5 


children),  Tookymingwah,  wife  of  Kookoo,  and  Tungwingwah, 
wife  of  Kulutingwah.  When  they  had  grasped  the  idea  that 
I  was  about  to  present  them  with  these  things  they  fairly 
danced  with  joy,  shouting  to  their  husbands,  and  laughing  and 
talking  with  each  other.  I  took  care  that  Mane  and  M'gipsu, 
who  had  been  with  us  constantly  sewing  and  curing  skins, 
should  have  the  more  desirable  articles,  while  the  others 
shared  equally.  After  the  distribution  the  professor,  with  a 
few  members  of  his  party,  rowed  off  to  the  "  Kite,"  and  in 
a  short  time  returned  with  their  boat  laden  with  pots,  kettles, 
knives,  scissors,  thimbles,  and  needles  for  the  women,  and  long 
ash-poles,  timber  cut  suitable  for  kayaks,  lances,  saws,  gimlets, 
knives,  etc. —  in  fact,  everything  in  the  hardware  and  lumber 
line  that  could  be  of  any  possible  use  to  the  men.  Then  all 
the  natives  were  collected  on  the  beach  and  the  different 
.... 


Receiving  Gifts  of  Charity. 


206  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

articles  distributed  among  them.  I  know  if  the  good  Penn- 
sylvanians  who  sent  these  gifts  could  have  seen  the  pleasure 
these  poor  natives  derived  from  them  they  would  have  felt 
amply  repaid. 

We  spent  a  couple  of  hours  in  taking  photographs  of  the 
natives,  their  tupics,  our  poor  little  abandoned  house  and  its 
surroundings,  and  then  bade  farewell  to  Redcliffe.  It  had 
been  my  home  for  thirteen  months — some  of  them  had 
seemed  more  than  twice  as  long  as  any  ordinary  month  — 
and  I  felt  sorry  to  leave  it  to  the  mercy  of  wind  and  weather 
and  Eskimo.  Mane  asked  me  if  she  might  pitch  her  tupic  in 
my  room,  saying  it  would  be  so  nice  and  dry,  and  the  wind 
could  not  strike  it  and  blow  it  over ;  then,  too,  no  matter  how 
cold  it  might  be,  her  ikkimer  would  be  sufficient  to  heat  it 
comfortably.  I  told  her  she  might  do  so,  but  she  must  take 
good  care  of  the  house  and  not  allow  others  to  destroy  any- 
thing about  it,  until  the  return  of  the  next  sun,  when,  if  we 
did  not  come  back,  it  should  belong  to  Ikwa  and  herself  to 
do  with  as  they  wished. 

It  was  about  noon  when  I  left  the  settlement  with  the  last 
boat-load,  and  as  soon  as  we  were  safely  on  board  the  "  Kite  " 
the  work  of  raising  the  anchor  was  begun.  In  the  meantime 
Ikwa  and  Kyo  in  their  kayaks  were  paddling  round  and  round 
the  "  Kite,"  calling  to  us  their  last  good-byes.  Ikwa  asked 
if  he  might  come  aboard  just  once  more,  and  on  permission 
being  granted,  he  immediately  climbed  over  the  side  and 
jumped  on  deck.  Some  one  took  a  fancy  to  his  kayak  pad- 


FAREWELL   TO    GREENLAND  2O7 

die,  which  had  been  broken  and  mended,  as  only  an  Eskimo 
can  mend,  in  at  least  a  dozen  different  places,  and  gave  him 
an  old  sledge-runner  for  it.  When  the  time  came  for  the  Old 
Pirate  to  leave  us  all  of  us  felt  badly,  and  when  he  said  "  Goo- 
by,"  with  his  peculiar  accent,  his  eyes  filled  and  he  choked. 
After  this  he  would  not  turn  his  head  in  our  direction,  and 
only  waved  his  hand  in  answer  to  our  good-byes.  His  pic- 
ture, as  he  paddled  himself  with  the  sledge-runner,  curved  at 
both  ends,  to  the  shore,  will  never  fade  from  my  memory. 

As  the  "  Kite  "  steamed  slowly  down  the  bay  the  natives 
ran  along  the  beach,  shouting  to  us  and  waving  their  hands, 
Kulutingwah  bringing  up  the  rear  with  a  torn  American  flag 
attached  to  a  pole,  which  he  waved  frantically  to  the  imminent 
danger  of  those  near  him.  I  could  not  help  thinking,  Have 
these  poor  ignorant  people,  who  are  absolutely  isolated  from 
the  rest  of  humanity,  really  benefited  by  their  intercourse  with 
us,  or  have  we  only  opened  their  eyes  to  their  destitute  con- 
dition ?  I  hope  the  latter  is  not  the  case,  for  a  happier,  mer- 
rier set  of  people  I  have  never  seen ;  no  thought  beyond  the 
present,  and  no  care  beyond  that  of  getting  enough  to  eat 
and  to  wear.  As  we  steamed  down  the  bay  we  turned  our 
eyes  on  the  red  cliffs,  and  when  they  faded  from  view  Cape 
Cleveland  and  Herbert  and  Northumberland  Islands  were  the 
only  familiar  landmarks  left  in  sight.  On  these  we  gazed 
with  the  feeling  that  we  were  looking  our  last  upon  the  scene. 
The  old  Cape,  especially,  seemed  very  near  and  dear  to  me ; 
twice  it  had  sheltered  and  protected  me  from  the  fury  of  an 


2O8  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Arctic  gale  —  once  in  the  winter  when  Mr.  Peary  and  the  doc- 
tor had  gone  to  rescue  "  Jack,"  my  pet  Newfoundland,  from 
its  precipitous  cliffs,  and  the  second  time  only  a  few  days 
ago,  when  we  returned  from  our  venturesome  boat  journey 
up  Inglefield  Gulf. 

Our  home  journey  was  almost  wholly  devoid  of  incident. 
Melville  Bay,  smooth  as  glass,  had  lost  its  terrors,  and  we 
steamed  through  it  almost  without  hindrance.  We  reached 
Atanekerdluk,  in  the  Waigatt,  on  August  29th,  and  there 
spent  a  delightful  and  profitable  day  in  collecting  fossils 
among  the  "  leaf  beds "  which  have  been  made  famous  to 
geologists.  The  following  morning  we  arrived  at  Godhavn, 
where  once  more  we  enjoyed  the  kind  hospitality  of  Inspector 
and  Mrs.  Anderssen,  and  the  pleasing  attentions  of  a  daughter 
who  had  only  recently  returned  from  Denmark.  The  same 
friendly  reception  awaited  us  at  Godthaab,  the  capital  of  the 
Southern  Inspectorate  of  Greenland,  where  the  honors  of  hos- 
pitality were  divided  between  Inspector  and  Mrs.  Fencker  and 
Governor  and  Mrs.  Baumann.  It  was  here  that  Nansen  de- 
scended from  the  ice-cap  after  his  memorable  journey  across 
the  Land  of  Desolation  and  passed  a  long,  weary  winter  of 
waiting. 

The  Eskimos  of  this  region  have  the  reputation  of  being 
the  most  expert  kayakers  in  the  whole  of  Greenland,  and 
we  were  witness  to  some  of  their  most  remarkable  feats, 
such  as  describing  a  complete  revolution  through  the  water, 


FAREWELL   TO    GREENLAND 


209 


and  crossing  one  another  at  right  angles,  one  canoe  shooting 
over  the  bow  of  the  other.     These  performances,  which  are 


Sports  of  the  Kayakers. —  Overturning. 

said  to  have  been  at  one  time  common  with  all  the  west- 
Eskimos,  are  rapidly  becoming  a  lost  art,  and  it  has  even 
doubted  if  they  took  place 
at  all. 

Our  kind  friends  were  so 
pressing  in  their  attentions 
that  it  was  not  without  re- 
gret that  we  were  forced 
to  bid  adieu  to  their  hos- 
pitable homes  and  a  last 
farewell  to  the  Greenland 
shores.  After  a  rather 
tempestuous  voyage  we 
arrived  at  St.  John's,  New- 
foundland, on  September 
nth,  to  find  a  scene  of 

desolation,  and    wreck    and  Kayaker  Overturned. 


coast 
been 


210  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

ruin  running  in  the  path  of  the  recent  conflagration.  The  fire 
had  broken  out  two  days  after  the  departure  of  the  "  Kite  "  on 
her  last  mission  of  good-will,  and  this  was  the  first  intimation 
that  any  of  us  had  had  of  the  catastrophe.  Shaping  our  course 
southward,  we  arrived,  after  an  uneventful  voyage,  at  our  port 
of  destination,  Philadelphia,  where  on  the  24th,  amid  a  chorus 
of  cheers  and  hurrahs,  and  the  tooting  of  innumerable  horns 
and  whistles,  we  received  the  congratulations  of  the  multitude 
that  had  assembled  to  await  our  arrival. 

I  returned  in  the  best  of  health,  much  stronger  than  when 
I  left  sixteen  months  before.  The  journey  was  a  thoroughly 
enjoyable  one.  There  were  some  drawbacks,  it  is  true,  but 
we  meet  with  them  everywhere,  and  were  it  not  for  the  sad 
loss  of  Mr.  Verhoeff,  I  should  not  have  a  single  regret. 


CHAPTER  XX 

GREENLAND    REVISITED 

Along  the  Labrador  Coast  —  Strange  Passengers  on  the  "Falcon"  —  Holstein- 
borg  and  Godhavn  —  The  Quickest  Passage  of  Melville  Bay — Meeting  with 
Old  Friends — No  Tidings  of  Verhoeff  —  Establishing  Ourselves  at  Bowdoin 
Bay — Deaths  among  the  Eskimos  —  A  Rich  Walrus  Hunt  —  Smith  Sound  and 
the  Northern  Ice-pack  —  Polaris  House — Departure  of  the  "  Falcon." 

Anniversary  Lodge,  Bowdoin  Bay,  Greenland,  August  20, 
1893.  The  reader  who  has  followed  me  through  my  Arctic 
experiences  of  1891—92  may  be  interested  to  know  how  we 
found  our  Eskimo  friends  upon  our  return  to  them  after  an 
absence  of  nearly  a  year. 

On  July  8  the  steamship  "  Falcon,"  carrying  north  the  mem- 
bers of  Mr.  Peary's  new  Arctic  expedition,  left  Portland,  and 
headed  for  St.  John's,  where  we  landed  on  the  1 3th.  We  had 
with  us  a  conglomerate  cargo,  including,  in  addition  to  the 
ordinary  paraphernalia  of  an  Arctic  expedition,  eight  little 
Mexican  burros  or  donkeys,  two  St.  Bernard  dogs,  the  Eskimo 
dogs  which  Mr.  Peary  had  brought  down  from  Greenland,  and 
numerous  homing  pigeons,  kindly  presented  to  us  by  friends 
interested  in  the  expedition.  At  St.  John's  we  added  a  few 

211 


212  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

Newfoundland  dogs,  and  then  proceeded  north  along  the  Lab- 
rador coast,  touching  at  several  of  the  missionary  stations,  where 
.we  obtained  about  thirty  dogs  from  the  Eskimos.  It  was  a 
pitiable  sight  to  see  how  famished  these  poor  Moravian  mis- 
sionaries were  for  news  from  the  old  as  well  as  the  new  coun- 
try. They  have  direct  mail  communication  with  Europe  only 
once  a  year. 

I  was  told  that  although  they  have  only  three  months  in 
the  year  when  frost  is  out  of  the  ground,  yet  they  all  cultivate 
small  gardens,  and  the  most  delicious  dish  of  stewed  rhubarb 
that  I  ever  tasted  was  prepared  from  a  bundle  sent  to  me  by 
one  of  the  missionaries.  It  was  interesting  to  note  that  while 
the  appearance  of  the  Labrador  Eskimos  is  very  similar  to  that 
of  the  natives  of  South  Greenland,  yet  their  mode  of  dress 
is  different  in  both  pattern  and  material.  The  undershirts, 
instead  of  being  made  of  the  skins  of  birds,  are  made  of  blan- 
keting, and  instead  of  being  the  same  length  back  and  front, 
are  fashioned  with  a  long  tail ;  over  this  is  worn  a  garment  of 
the  same  pattern,  made  of  drilling.  The  trousers  are  also  of 
woven  material.  Of  course  this  was  their  summer  costume. 
The  women  all  wore  blanket  skirts,  and  had  woolen  shawls 
about  their  shoulders. 

After  following  the  coast  of  Labrador  for  ten  days,  we 
headed  across  Davis  Strait  for  Holsteinborg,  on  the  Green- 
land shore.  It  took  us  about  twelve  hours  to  steam  through 
the  stream  of  ice  which  was  flowing  southward,  but  only  once 
did  the  "  Falcon  "  have  to  go  astern  in  order  to  move  a  pan  of 


GREENLAND    REVISITED  213 

ice  and  make  a  passageway  for  herself.  Steadily  she  steamed 
on,  butting  against  the  cakes  and  floes  until  her  timbers  quiv- 
ered and  creaked.  At  last  we  were  in  clear  water  again,  and 
then  our  vessel  fairly  bounded  over  the  waves. 

Arrived  at  Holsteinborg,  we  found  a  pretty,  clean  little 
village.  There  are  more  wooden  houses  here  than  at  Godhavn, 
and  altogether  the  place  looks  more  thrifty.  We  found  the 
governor  absent,  but  the  assistant  governor,  a  young  Danish 
officer  who  spoke  a  little  English,  did  the  honors,  and  he  pro- 
cured twenty-three  dogs  from  the  natives  for  us.  Among 
other  attentions,  he  sent  to  me  a  basket  of  radishes,  fresh  from 
his  garden. 

Business  completed,  the  "  Falcon  "  steamed  north  for  God- 
havn. On  our  arrival  at  this  little  hamlet  we  found  everything 
apparently  unchanged,  but,  to  our  great  disappointment,  our 
pilot  informed  us  that  Inspector  Anderssen  was  absent  on  a 
tour  of  inspection,  accompanied  by  his  daughter,  and  that 
Governor  Joergensen  and  family  had  gone  to  Denmark.  We 
found  Mrs.  Anderssen  as  rosy-cheeked  and  as  youthful  as  when 
we  first  saw  her.  She  made  our  visit  very  pleasant,  rounding 
it  off  with  one  of  her  delightful  little  dinners  on  the  evening 
of  our  departure.  We  requited  her  hospitality  by  presenting 
her  with  various  kinds  of  fruit  —  pineapples,  lemons,  oranges, 
and  a  watermelon.  The  natives  expressed  great  pleasure  on 
seeing  us,  and  old  Frederick,  who  had  accompanied  Mr.  Peary 
on  the  ice  in  1886,  after  shaking  hands  with  me,  said,  "Very 
gude,  you  look  all  samee,"  rubbing  his  hands  over  his  face  and 


214  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

then  pointing  to  mine  to  show  me  that  I  had  not  changed  in 
looks  since  last  he  saw  me. 

Our  next  stopping-place  was  Upernavik,  where  we  remained 
just  long  enough  to  pick  up  a  few  dogs,  after  which  we  put  in 
at  Tassiusak,  the  most  northerly  inhabited  spot  in  the  world 
belonging  to  any  government.  This  place  boasts  of  but  a  sin- 
gle wooden  house.  We  here  still  further  increased  our  stock 
of  dogs,  and  then  left.  The  next  day  we  revisited  the  Duck 
Islands,  but  this  year  the  sport  did  not  compare  with  that  of 
two  years  ago,  when  the  birds  were  so  plentiful  that  one  could 
hardly  walk  without  fear  of  stepping  on  them.  This  year  it 
was  a  month  later  in  the  season,  and  not  only  were  the  young 
ducks  hatched,  but  the  old  mother  ducks  were  out  teaching  the 
ducklings  to  swim,  and  the  islands  consequently  were  all  but 
deserted.  I  devoted  my  time  to  the  gathering  of  down  for  the 
bedding  in  our  Arctic  home,  and  secured  about  thirty  pounds. 

We  now  headed  for  the  ever-dreaded  Melville  Bay,  my  first 
experience  with  which  I  shall  never  forget.  We  were  then 
three  weeks  in  crossing,  and  it  was  during  that  time  that  Mr. 
Peary  had  the  misfortune  to  have  his  leg  broken.  This  time 
everything  looked  favorable ;  we  had  no  fog,  and  there  was  no 
ice  in  sight  from  the  crow's  nest.  Captain  Bartlett  was  deter- 
mined to  break  the  record  in  the  crossing  of  this  water — thirty- 
six  hours  —  on  this  his  first  voyage  to  the  Arctic  regions.  In 
twenty-four  hours  and  fifty  minutes  we  reached  the  Eskimo 
settlement  at  Cape  York,  Melville  Bay  behind  us  and  still  no 
ice  to  be  seen. 


GREENLAND    REVISITED  215 

At  this  settlement,  where  formerly  so  many  natives  lived, 
we  found  only  three  families,  all  of  them  strange  to  us ;  they 
could  tell  us  nothing  about  our  acquaintances  in  the  tribe,  not 
having  seen  any  of  the  inhabitants  to  the  north  of  them  since 
the  time  we  left  McCormick  Bay.  We  pushed  on  along  the 
Greenland  coast  until  we  rounded  Cape  Parry,  and  then  steamed 
into  Barden  Bay,  stopping  at  the  Eskimo  village  of  Netchiolumy. 
Here,  too,  instead  of  finding  about  sixty  natives,  as  was  the 
case  a  year  ago,  we  found  only  two  families.  Mr.  Peary  with 
two  men  went  ashore  at  once,  and  before  their  boat  reached 
the  land  I  heard  one  of  the  natives  shout  "  Chimo  Peary," 
and  saw  him  dance  up  and  down  for  joy.  On  his  return 
Mr.  Peary  informed  me  that  the  natives  were  Keshu,  alias  the 
Smiler,  and  Myah,  the  White  Man,  with  their  families.  They 
were  wild  with  delight,  and  begged  to  be  allowed  to  accom- 
pany us  to  the  site  of  our  new  house  and  pitch  their  tents 
beside  it.  They  were  stowed  with  all  their  belongings  into 
Mr.  Peary's  boat,  and  in  a  short  time  both  families  with  their 
houses  and  their  chattels  were  on  board  the  "  Falcon."  They 
gave  us  all  the  news  and  gossip  of  the  tribe.  Naturally,  we 
first  questioned  them  about  our  lost  companion,  Mr.  Verhoeff. 
There  never  was  a  doubt  in  our  minds  that  Mr.  Verhoeff  lost 
his  life  in  crossing  the  glacier  at  the  head  of  Robertson  Bay ; 
but  his  friends  at  home  took  a  different  view  of  the  matter, 
and  were  confident  that  we  would  find  him  alive  and  well. 
These  natives  say  that  nothing  has  been  seen  or  heard  of  him, 
and  they  hesitate  to  speak  of  him,  as  they  never  speak  of  their 


2l6  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

dead.  Mr.  Peary  thought  perhaps  some  article  of  his  clothing 
had  been  found  by  the  Eskimos  that  might  throw  some  light 
on  the  disappearance  of  our  unfortunate  associate ;  but  nothing 
whatever  has  been  found.  We  next  inquired  about  our  Eski- 
mo friends,  and  were  grieved  to  hear  that  the  little  five- 
year-old,  bright-eyed,  mischievous  Anadore,  daughter  of  our 
henchman  Ikwa  and  his  wife  Mane,  had  died  in  the  early 
spring.  We  learned  that  Redcliffe  House  had  been  destroyed 
by  a  few  of  the  natives,  led  on  by  the  famous  angekok,  Kyo- 
ahpadu,  and  that  he  had  also  destroyed  the  provisions  which 
were  cached  at  Cairn  Point  by  Mr.  Peary. 

We  arrived  at  our  destination,  at  the  head  of  Bowdoin  Bay, 
on  August  3d,  without  any  difficulty,  the  ice  having  almost 
completely  left  the  bay  and  sound.  The  Sculptured  Cliffs  of 
Karnah,  forming  the  cape  of  Bowdoin  Bay,  stood  out  sharp 
and  clear  in  the  early  morning  sunlight,  while  the  towering  red 


The  Cliffs  of  Karnah. 


GREENLAND    REVISITED  21  7 

Castle  Cliffs  frowned  down  upon  the  bay  from  the  opposite 
cape. 

The  site  selected  for  our  new  home  is  only  a  few  feet  from 
where  we  pitched  our  tent  last  year  when  engaged  in  the  ex- 
ploration of  Inglefield  Gulf,  and  where,  amidst  a  furious  rain- 
storm, we  celebrated  our  wedding  anniversary.  As  we  shall 
celebrate  at  least  two  more  such  anniversaries  here,  we  have 
christened  our  new  home  "Anniversary  Lodge."  The  great 
cliff  which  mounts  guard  over  us  Mr.  Peary  has  named  Mt. 
Bartlett,  in  honor  of  our  gallant  young  skipper,  Captain  Harry 
Bartlett,  of  St.  John's.  Our  snug  and  picturesque  harbor  is  to 
be  known  as  Falcon  Harbor,  named  after  the  little  bark  which 
brought  us  here  in  safety,  and  which  is  the  first  ship  to  anchor 
in  these  waters. 

The  day  after  we  dropped  anchor  in  Falcon  Harbor  we  were 
visited  by  five  of  our  former  Eskimo  acquaintances,  who  had 
paddled  at  least  twenty-five  or  thirty  miles  in  their  kayaks  on 
seeing  the  ship  pass  their  settlement.  Two  of  them,  Kuluting- 
wah  and  Annowkah,  were  residents  of  Redcliffe,  and  it  really 
seemed  like  meeting  old  neighbors,  although  I  must  confess 
that  they  appear  even  dirtier  than  they  did  a  year  ago.  An- 
nowkah told  me  that  his  wife,  M'gipsu,  who  was  our  most 
skilful  seamstress,  was  ill;  but  it  is  impossible  to  get  these 
people  to  talk  much  about  their  sick,  and  so  I  was  unable  to 
find  out  what  really  ailed  the  poor  woman. 

Our  Eskimos  stayed  with  us  a  few  days  and  assisted  us  in 
landing  our  supplies.  They  were  vastly  amused  at  the  burros, 


2l8  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

which  they  persist  in  calling  "big  dogs";  and  I  can  hardly 
blame  them,  for  my  St.  Bernard  dog  is  almost  as  large  and 
tall  as  some  of  these  little  animals.  After  the  provisions  were 
all  ashore,  each  native  took  a  load  of  about  fifty  pounds  on  his 
back  and  carried  it  to  the  ice-cap ;  but  this  was  the  last  straw, 
and  every  man  decided  that  he  really  must  return  to  his 
family  at  once. 

On  August  12,  the  work  on  the  house  being  well  advanced, 
Mr.  Peary  decided  to  make  a  trip  after  walrus  for  dog-food, 
intending  to  proceed  as  far  as  Smith  Sound,  if  possible.  It 
takes  quite  a  little  pile  of  meat  to  feed  eighty-three  Eskimo 
dogs.  Accompanied  by  the  two  natives,  Keshu  and  Myah, 
we  started  for  Karnah,  the  nearest  settlement,  where  we  had 
intended  to  pick  up  one  or  two  additional  hunters;  but  on 
reaching  the  place  we  were  shocked  to  hear  that  M'gipsu  had 
died  "  two  sleeps  ago."  Mr.  Peary  went  to  Annowkah's  tent, 
and  there  sat  the  bereaved  husband,  with  his  sealskin  hood 
pulled  over  his  head,  looking  straight  before  him,  saying  noth- 
ing and  doing  nothing,  apparently  knowing  nothing  of  what 
was  going  on  about  him.  It  is  the  custom  with  these  people 
to  act  in  this  way  for  a  certain  length  of  time  after  a  death, 
and  then  they  desert  the  hut 'or  tent  in  which  the  death  has 
taken  place,  and  it  is  never  again  occupied.  M'gipsu's  little 
six-year-old  boy,  whose  father  died  when  he  was  very  small, 
also  sat  in  the  tent  all  huddled  up  in  one  corner.  Poor  little 
fellow !  I  do  not  know  what  will  become  of  him  now,  for  it  is  an 
open  secret  that  his  stepfather,  Annowkah,  does  not  like  him. 


GREENLAND    REVISITED  2IQ 

As  we  proceeded  up  the  sound  we  saw  the  cakes  of  ice 
thickly  sprinkled  with  walrus,  which  had  come  out  of  the 
water  and  were  taking  a  sun-bath.  The  boats  were  lowered, 
and  the  men  started  after  them.  In  a  few  hours  we  had 
twenty-four  of  the  monsters  on  board.  Their  average  weight 
was  estimated  at  not  less  than  fifteen  hundred  pounds.  There 
were  several  cold  baths  taken  by  the  hunters,  and  some  narrow 
escapes,  but  nothing  serious  occurred,  and  we  continued  on  our 
course,  heading  for  Cape  Alexander.  Once  around  the  cape, 
we  steamed  half-way  across  the  sound  toward  Cape  Sabine, 
where  we  were  stopped  by  the  ice-pack,  which  stretched  in 
an  unbroken  plain  as  far  as  we  could  see.  Turning  back,  we 
visited  the  site  of  the  Polaris  House,  where  a  portion  of  Cap- 
tain Hall's  party  wintered  after  the  "  Polaris  "  was  wrecked. 
We  picked  up  a  number  of  souvenirs  in  the  shape  of  bolts, 
hooks,  hinges,  even  buttons  and  leaves  from  books.  A  quan- 
tity of  rope  was  found  on  the  border  of  a  little  pond  just  back 
of  where  the  house  stood,  and  it  seemed  to  be  in  a  state  of 
perfect  preservation.  We  also  stopped  at  Littleton  Island,  and 
on  the  adjoining  McGary  Island  some  of  the  party  indulged 
in  a  little  shooting.  A  few  ducks  and  guillemots  were  shot ; 
four  additional  walrus  and  an  oogzook  seal  were  also  obtained 
in  this  vicinity.  The  weather  then  became  thick  and  a  strong 
wind  sprang  up,  which  put  an  end  to  the  sport. 

All  night  we  steamed  toward  Hakluyt  Island,  but  on  reach- 
ing it  we  could  not  make  a  landing  on  account  of  the  gale. 
We  lay  in  the  shelter  of  the  cliffs  of  Northumberland,  and 


220  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

when  the  storm  abated  steamed  along  its  shore,  and,  crossing 
Whale  Sound,  entered  Olrich's  Bay,  the  scenery  of  which  sur- 
passes that  of  any  of  the  other  Greenland  bays  that  I  have 
seen.  Our  party  scattered  at  once  in  search  of  reindeer, 
which  we  were  told  were  numerous  here,  and  in  a  few  hours 
we  had  seventeen  on  board  ship. 

Our  house  is  up,  and  promises  to  be  very  cozy.  The  good 
ship  "Falcon"  sails  for  home  to-morrow,  taking  with  her  the 
last  messages  which  we  can  send  our  dear  ones  for  some  time. 

Everything  points  to  the  success  which  Mr.  Peary  hopes 
for.  What  the  future  will  bring,  however,  no  one  can  tell. 


THE  GREAT  WHITE  JOURNEY 

FROM  McCORMICK  BAY 

TO  THE  NORTHERN  SHORE  OF  GREENLAND 
AND  RETURN 

BY 

ROBERT  E.  PEARY 


THE    GREAT   WHITE   JOURNEY. 

According  to  my  program,  the  ist  of  May  was  to  be  the 
time  for  the  start  on  the  inland  ice,  and  on  the  28th  of  April, 
Astrup,  Gibson,  Dr.  Cook,  and  the  native  men  then  at  Red- 
cliffe  left  with  the  last  load  of  supplies  for  the  head  of 
McCormick  Bay.  The  natives  were  to  return  after  helping 
the  boys  carry  the  supplies  to  the  top  of  the  bluff;  the  boys 
themselves  were  to  push  forward  with  the  work  until  I  joined 
them.  This  I  did  on  the  3d  of  May.  When  I  left  Redcliffe 
the  number  of  natives  there  had  dwindled  very  materially ; 
some  drawn  away  to  the  seal-hunt,  but  more  driven  away  by 
their  superstitious  feeling  in  regard  to  my  going  upon  the 
great  ice.  We  had  the  most  exceptionally  fine  weather  all 
through  April,  but  on  the  very  night  that  I  reached  the  head 
of  the  bay  a  sullen  sky  over  the  ice-cap  betokened  a  change. 
From  this  night  until  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  August,  when 
Astrup  and  myself  clambered  down  the  flower-strewn  bluffs 
again,  my  couch  was  the  frozen  surface  of  the  inland  ice,  and 
my  canopy  the  blue  sky. 

The  first  two  weeks  after  leaving  the  little  house  upon  the 
shores  of  McCormick  Bay  were  occupied  in  transporting  the 
supplies — which  at  various  times  during  the  preceding  month 


223 


224  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

had  been  carried  by  the  members  of  my  party  and  helping 
natives  to  the  crest  of  the  bluffs  at  the  head  of  the  bay — to 
the  edge  of  the  true  inland  ice,  some  miles  distant,  and  then 
in  dragging  them  over  and  among  the  succession  of  the  great 
domes  of  ice  which  extend  inward  some  fifteen  miles  to  the 
gradual  slope  of  the  vast  interior  snow-plain.  One  or  two 
snow-storms  and  the  constant  violent  wind  rushing  down  from 
the  interior  to  the  shore,  combined  with  the  difficulties  of  the 
road  and  the  constant  annoyance  from  our  team  of  twenty 
savage  and  powerful  Eskimo  dogs,  entirely  unaccustomed  to 
us  and  to  our  methods,  made  these  two  weeks  a  time  of  un- 
remitting and  arduous  labor  for  myself.  The  only  pleasant 
break  in  this  work  was  the  occurrence  of  my  own  birthday, 
and  the  unexpected  appearance  from  among  the  medical 
stores,  in  charge  of  Dr.  Cook,  of  a  little  box  from  the  hands 
of  the  dear  one  left  behind,  containing  a  bottle  of  Chateau 
Yquem,  a  wine  endeared  to  both  of  us  by  many  delightful 
associations,  a  cake,  and  a  note  containing  birthday  wishes  for 
success  and  continued  health.  Once  on  the  true  ice-cap,  two 
good  marches  brought  us  to  the  divide,  from  which,  as  from 
the  ridge  of  a  great  white-roofed  house,  the  ice-cap  slopes 
north  to  the  shores  of  Kane  Basin  and  historic  Renssellaer 
Harbor,  where  Kane  and  his  little  party  passed  so  many  Arc- 
tic months,  and  southward  to  the  shores  of  Whale  Sound  and 
our  own  little  home.  From  this  divide  we  had  a  slight  de- 
scent in  our  favor,  and  we  kept  on  from  the  edge  of  the  basin 
of  the  Humboldt  Glacier,  where  the  great  mass  of  the  inland 


I 


THE   GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY  225 

ice,  like  very  cold  molasses,  hollows  itself  slowly  down  to  the 
mighty  glacier  itself.  Here  the  fiercest  storm  that  we  had 
encountered  thus  far  burst  upon  us,  and  for  three  days  we 
were  confined  to  our  snow  shelter,  getting  out  as  best  we 
could  in  occasional  lulls  in  the  storm  to  secure  loose  dogs  and 
endeavor  to  protect  the  loads  upon  the  sledges  from  their 
ravages.  In  this  we  were  fairly  successful,  though  we  did  not 
succeed  in  preventing  them  from  devouring  some  six  pounds 
of  cranberry  jam,  and  eating  the  foot  off  Gibson's  sleeping- 
bag.  This  storm  over,  we  were  not  again  troubled  by  really 
violent  storms  during  our  northward  march. 

On  the  24th  of  May  Dr.  Cook  and  Gibson,  who  had  formed 
our  supporting  party,  left  us  to  return  to  Redcliffe,  leaving 
Astrup  as  my  sole  companion  for  the  remainder  of  the  jour- 
ney. On  the  last  day  of  May,  from  the  dazzling  surface 
of  the  ice-cap  we  looked  down  into  the  basin  of  the  Peter- 
mann  Glacier — the  grandest  amphitheater  of  snow  and  ragged 
ice  that  human  eye  has  ever  seen,  walled  in  the  distance  by  a 
Titan  dam  of  black  mountains,  and  all  lit  by  the  yellow  mid- 
night sunlight.  Still  keeping  on  to  the  northward,  navigating 
the  ice  as  does  the  mariner  the  sea  along  an  unknown  coast, 
we  were  befogged  for  two  or  three  days  in  clouds  and  mists 
which  prevented  us  from  seeing  to  any  distance.  As  a  result, 
we  approached  too  near  the  mountains  of  the  coast,  and  got 
entangled  in  the  rough  ice  and  crevasses  of  the  Sherard  Os- 
borne  Glacier  system.  Here  we  lost  twelve  or  fourteen  days 
in  our  efforts  to  get  back  to  the  smooth,  unbroken  snow-cap 

15 


226 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


of  the  interior.  Once  there,  we  continued  our  march,  always 
northeastward,  till  on  the  2;th  of  June  I  discerned  black 
mountain-summits  rising  above  the  horizon  of  the  ice-cap, 

directly    ahead    of    us. 
Then  the  northwest  en- 
trance of  a  fjord  came 
into  view,  and  we  could 
trace   its  course  south- 
easterly just  beyond  the 
nearer  mountains  of  the 
land  north  and   north- 
east.      I    changed    my 
course  to  east,  when  I 
was  soon  confronted  by 
the  land  and  the  fjord 
beyond.    Then  I  turned 
to    the    southeast,    and 
traveled   in   that  direc- 
tion until  the  1st  of  July, 
when    we,    after    fifty- 
seven  days  of  journey- 
ing over  a  barren  waste 
of  snow,  stepped  upon  the  rocks  of  a  strange  new  land,  lying 
red-brown  in  the  sunlight,  and  dotted  with  snow-drifts  here 
and  there.      The  murmur  of  rushing  streams,  the  roar  of  leap- 
ing cataracts  from  the  ice- cap,  and  the  song  of  snow-buntings 
made  the  air  musical.     Leaving  the  sledge  and  our  supplies  at 


The  Land  beyond  the  Ice. 


THE    GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY  22 7 

the  very  edge  of  the  rocks,  leading  our  dogs,  and  with  a  few 
days'  supplies  upon  our  backs,  Astrup  and  myself  started  on 
over  this  strange  land,  bound  for  the  coast,  which  we  knew 
could  not  be  far  distant.  Four  days  of  the  hardest  traveling, 
over  sharp  stones  of  all  sizes,  through  drifts  of  snow  and  across 
rushing  torrents,  and  we  came  out  at  last  upon  the  summit  of 
a  towering  cliff,  about  3500  feet  high,  now  known  as  Navy 
Cliff,  from  which  we  overlooked  the  great  and  hitherto  un- 
discovered Independence  Bay. 

Before  us  stretched  new  lands  and  waters,  to  which,  with 
the  explorer's  prerogative,  I  gave  names,  as  follows :  the  bay 
at  our  feet,  opening  into  the  Arctic  Ocean  half-way  between 
the  8  ist  and  82d  parallels  of  latitude,  was  named  Indepen- 
dence Bay  in  honor  of  the  day,  July  4th ;  the  red-brown  land 
beyond  the  fjord  which  had  stopped  our  forward  northward 
progress  was  called  Heilprin  Land ;  and  a  still  more  distant 
land  beyond  the  entrance  of  a  second  fjord,  Melville  Land. 
The  enormous  glacier  at  our  right,  flowing  due  north  into  In- 
dependence Bay,  received  the  name  of  Academy  Glacier,  and 
the  bold  rugged  land  beyond  it,  Daly  Land. 

It  was  almost  impossible  for  us  to  believe  that  we  were 
standing  upon  the  northern  shore  of  Greenland  as  we  gazed 
from  the  summit  of  this  bronze  cliff,  with  the  most  brilliant 
sunshine  all  about  us,  with  yellow  poppies  growing  between 
the  rocks  around  our  feet,  and  a  herd  of  musk-oxen  in  the 
valley  behind  us.  Two  of  these  animals  we  had  killed,  and 
their  bodies  were  now  awaiting  our  return  for  a  grand  feast  of 


228 


MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 


fresh  meat.  Down  in  that  same  valley  I  had  found  an  old 
friend,  a  dandelion  in  bloom,  and  had  seen  the  bullet-like 
flight  and  heard  the  energetic  buzz  of  the  bumble-bee. 

For  seven  days  we  remained  in  this  northern  land,  more 
than  six  hundred  miles  of  pathless  icy  sea  separating  us  from 
the  nearest  human  being,  and  then  we  began  our  return 
march.  This  return  march,  much  shorter  than  the  upward 


The  Academy  Glacier. 

one,  was  uneventful  and  monotonous. 
For  about  two  weeks  we  were  about 
a  mile  and  a  half  above  the  sea-level, 

literally  in  the  clouds,  and  day  after  day,  in  every  direction, 
stretched  only  the  steel-blue  line  of  the  snow  horizon.  The 
snow  was  soft  and  light,  and  without  our  "  ski,"  or  Norwegian 
snow-skates,  and  Indian  snow-shoes  we  should  have  been  almost 
helpless  in  it ;  but  at  last,  after  passing  the  latitude  of  the 
Humboldt  Glacier,  when  we  were  only  about  a  mile  above 
the  sea-level,  the  traveling  became  better.  The  slight  down- 
grade assisted  us,  and  for  seven  days  we  averaged  thirty  miles 


THE    GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY 


229 


a  day,  increasing  our  distance  on  each  successive  day,  showing 
that  both  men  and  dogs  were  in  perfect  training,  and,  like  the 
scientific  athlete,  had  still  the  reserve  force  necessary  for  a 
grand  spurt  on  the  home  stretch. 

The  night  of  the  5th  to  the  6th  of  August  was  an  exqui- 
sitely clear  and  perfect  one.  From  eight  to  eleven  Astrup 
and  myself  and  our  remaining  five  dogs  toiled  up  the  north 
slope  of  the  largest  of  the  ice-domes  between  the  head  of 
McCormick  Bay  and  the  edge  of  the  true  interior  ice — one  to 
which  I  had  given  the  name  "Dome  Mountain."  As  I  rose 


M  A  P    O  F 

INDEPENDENCE  BAY 

EAST  COAST  OF  GREENLAND 

JULY  HT"  i8«)i 
R.E.  PEA.RY.  U.SN*vY 


OBSERVATION  SPOT  ON  NMY  CLIFF 
LA.T.  8r  37    S"  N 
L.ONG.  5M*5'    W. 


230  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

over  the  crest  of  the  great  white  mass  and  looked  down  and 
forward  upon  our  course,  there,  some  two  miles  away,  upon 
the  slope  of  the  next  dome,  were  two  or  three  dark,  irregular 
objects.  Even  as  I  looked  at  them  they  moved  and  separated, 
until  I  could  count  several  detached  bodies.  They  could  be 
but  one  thing — men;  and  as  there  were  so  many  of  them, 
and  as  I  was  sure  that  none  of  the  Eskimos  could  have  been 
persuaded  by  my  boys  to  set  foot  upon  the  inland  ice,  I  knew 
in  an  instant  that  some  ship  was  lying  in  the  bay  waiting  for 
us.  It  was  but  a  little  while  later,  both  parties  descending 
rapidly  toward  each  other,  that  we  met  in  the  depression  be- 
tween the  two  domes,  and  I  grasped  again  the  hand  of  Pro- 
fessor Heilprin,  who  had  been  the  last  to  say  good-by  to  me 
a  year  before,  as  I  lay  a  cripple  in  my  tent,  and  who  now  had 
come  again  to  meet  me  and  bring  us  back.  It  was  a  strange 
and  never-to-be-forgotten  meeting.  In  the  ship  lying  at 
anchor  at  the  very  head  of  the  bay  I  found  the  woman  who 
had  been  waiting  for  me  for  three  months,  and  two  days  later 
we  were  back  again  in  the  little  house  which  had  sheltered  us 
through  a  year  of  Arctic  vicissitudes. 

Such,  in  brief,  is  the  outline  of  the  inland-ice  journey  from 
McCormick  Bay  to  the  northern  shore  of  Greenland  and  back. 
Its  important  results  are  already  well  known,  and  it  is  not 
necessary  to  revert  to  them  here.  I  will  attempt,  however,  to 
give  some  adequate  impression  of  the  unique  surroundings  in 
which  our  work  was  done,  and  also  to  make  clear  the  real 
character  of  this  great  interior  ice-plateau,  a  natural  feature  so 


THE    GREAT   WHITE   JOURNEY  231 

entirely  different  from  any  with  which  we  are  aquainted  in 
better  known  portions  of  the  globe  that  I  have  sometimes 
found  it  difficult  to  convey,  even  to  the  most  cultivated 
minds,  a  really  adequate  conception  of  what  the  great  ice-cap 
is  like. 

The  terms  "  inland  ice "  and  "  great  interior  frozen  sea," 
two  of  the  more  common  names  by  which  the  region  traversed 
by  us  is  generally  known,  both  suggest  to  the  majority  of 
people  erroneous  ideas.  In  the  first  place,  the  surface  is  not 
ice,  but  merely  a  compacted  snow.  The  term  "  sea  "  is  also 
a  misnomer  in  so  far  as  it  suggests  the  idea  of  a  sometime  ex- 
panse of  water  subsequently  frozen  over.  The  only  justifica- 
tion for  the  term  is  the  unbroken  and  apparently  infinite  hori- 
zon which  bounds  the  vision  of  the  traveler  upon  its  surface. 
Elevated  as  the  entire  region  is  to  a  height  of  from  4000  to 
9000  feet  above  the  sea-level,  the  towering  mountains  of  the 
coast,  which  would  be  visible  to  the  sailor  at  a  distance  of 
sixty  to  eighty  miles,  disappear  beneath  the  landward  con- 
vexity of  the  ice-cap  by  the  time  the  traveler  has  penetrated 
fifteen  or  twenty  miles  into  the  interior,  and  then  he  may 
travel  for  days  and  weeks  with  no  break  whatever  in  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  sharp,  steel-blue  line  of  the  horizon. 

The  sea  has  its  days  of  towering,  angry  waves,  of  laughing, 
glistening  white-caps,  of  mirror-like  calm.  The  "  frozen  sea  " 
is  always  the  same — motionless,  petrified.  Around  its  white 
shield  the  sun  circles  for  months  in  succession,  never  hiding 
his  face  except  in  storms.  Once  a  month  the  pale  full  moon 


232  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

climbs  above  the  opposite  horizon,  and  circles  with  him  for 
eight  or  ten  days. 

Sometimes,  though  rarely,  cloud  shadows  drift  across  the 
white  expanse,  but  usually  the  cloud  phenomena  are  the  heavy 
prophecies  or  actualities  of  furious  storms  veiling  the  entire 
sky ;  at  other  times  they  are  merely  the  shadows  of  dainty, 
transparent  cirrus  feathers.  In  clearest  weather  the  solitary 
traveler  upon  this  white  Sahara  sees  but  three  things  outside 
of  and  beyond  himself — the  unbroken,  white  expanse  of  the 
snow,  the  unbroken  blue  expanse  of  the  sky,  and  the  sun.  In 
cloudy  weather  all  three  of  these  may  disappear. 

Many  a  time  I  have  found  myself  in  cloudy  weather  travel- 
ing in  gray  space.  Not  only  was  there  no  object  to  be  seen, 
but  in  the  entire  sphere  of  vision  there  was  no  difference  in 
intensity  of  light.  My  feet  and  snow-shoes  were  sharp  and 
clear  as  silhouettes,  and  I  was  sensible  of  contact  with  the 
snow  at  every  step.  Yet  as  far  as  my  eyes  gave  me  evidence 
to  the  contrary,  I  was  walking  upon  nothing.  The  space  be- 
tween my  snow-shoes  was  as  light  as  the  zenith.  The  opaque 
light  which  filled  the  sphere  of  vision  might  come  from  below 
as  well  as  above.  A  curious  mental  as  well  as  physical  strain 
resulted  from  this  blindness  with  wide-open  eyes,  and  some- 
times we  were  obliged  to  stop  and  await  a  change. 

The  wind  is  always  blowing  on  the  great  ice-cap,  sometimes 
with  greater,  sometimes  with  less  violence,  but  the  air  is  never 
quiet.  When  the  velocity  of  the  wind  increases  beyond  a 
certain  point  it  scoops  up  the  loose  snow,  and  the  surface  of 


THE   GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY  233 

the  inland  ice  disappears  beneath  a  hissing  white  torrent  of 
blinding  drift.  The  thickness  of  this  drift  may  be  anywhere 
from  six  inches  to  thirty  or  even  fifty  feet,  dependent  upon 
the  consistency  of  the  snow.  When  the  depth  of  the  drift  is 
not  in  excess  of  the  height  of  the  knee,  its  surface  is  as  tan- 
gible and  almost  as  sharply  defined  as  that  of  a  sheet  of  water, 
and  its  incessant  dizzy  rush  and  strident  sibilation  become, 
when  long  continued,  as  maddening  as  the  drop,  drop,  drop, 
of  water  on  the  head  in  the  old  torture- rooms. 

While  traversing  the  inland  ice  our  hours  of  marching  were 
those  corresponding  to  what  here  would  be  night — that  is, 
when  the  sun  was  above  the  northern  horizon.  In  our  line  of 
march  I  took  the  lead,  on  snow-shoes  or  ski  as  the  condition 
of  the  snow  demanded,  setting  the  course  by  compass,  or  by 
time,  and  the  shadow  cast  by  my  bamboo  staff.  The  dogs,  a 
few  yards  in  the  rear,  followed  my  trail,  and  Astrup  traveled 
on  ski  beside  the  sledge,  encouraging  the  dogs  and  keeping 
them  up  to  their  work. 

Our  daily  routine  was  as  follows:  When  the  day's  march 
(measured  sometimes  by  the  hours  we  had  been  on  the  move 
and  sometimes  by  the  distance  covered)  was  completed,  I  be- 
gan sounding  the  snow  with  the  light  bamboo  staff  to  which 
my  little  silken  guidon  was  attached,  until  I  found  a  place 
where  it  was  firm  enough  to  permit  of  blocks  being  cut  from 
it.  This  done,  the  guidon-staff  was  erected  in  the  snow,  and 
at  the  shout  of  "  Tima  "  from  me,  my  dogs,  no  matter  how 
long  or  how  hard  the  day  had  been,  would  prick  up  their  ears 


234  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

and  come  hurrying  up  to  me  until  they  could  lie  down  around 
my  feet,  glad  that  the  day's  work  was  done. 

As  soon  as  the  sledge  came  to  a  standstill  I  read  the  odom- 
eter, aneroid,  and  thermometer;  then  Astrup  and  myself  un- 
did the  lashings,  and  as  soon  as  the  lines  were  loose  Astrup 
took  the  saw-knife  and  began  excavating  for  our  kitchen, 
while  I  took  the  short  steel-pointed  stake  to  which  we  fast- 
ened our  dogs  and  drove  it  firmly  into  the  snow  in  front, 
and  some  fifty  feet  to  leeward,  of  the  kitchen  site.  I  then 
untangled  the  dogs'  traces,  detached  the  animals  from  the 
sledge,  and  made  them  fast  to  the  stake.  I  next  got  out  a 
tin  of  pemmican,  a  can-opener,  and  a  heavy  hunting-knife, 
and,  kneeling  behind  the  sledge,  prepared  the  dogs'  rations, 
which  consisted  of  a  pound  of  pemmican  each.  I  then  fed 
the  hungry  creatures,  standing  over  them  meanwhile  with  the 
whip,  to  see  that  the  weaker  ones  were  not  deprived  of  their 
share. 

By  this  time  Astrup  had  completed  an  excavation  in  the 
snow,  about  eight  feet  long  by  three  feet  wide  and  a  foot  and 
a  half  deep,  and  with  the  snow  blocks  obtained  from  this  ex- 
cavation had  formed  a  wall  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  high 
across  one  end  and  half-way  down  each  side.  Across  this 
wall  was  put  one,  and  sometimes  both,  of  the  ski,  and  over 
this  was  spread  a  light  cotton  sail,  weighted  down  with  blocks 
of  snow.  This  was  known  as  our  kitchen,  and  at  the  inner- 
most end  was  placed  the  kitchen-box,  containing  our  milk, 
tea,  pea-soup,  Liebig's  Extract,  drinking-cups,  can-opener, 


THE    GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY  235 

knives,  spoons,  and  the  day's  rations  of  pemmican  and  bis- 
cuit ;  also  the  alcohol-stove  and  a  box  of  matches,  done  up  in 
a  waterproof  package. 

Then,  if  it  was  Astrup's  turn  as  cook  he  immediately  began 
the  preparations  for  dinner  by  lighting  the  alcohol- lamp  and 
filling  the  boiler  with  snow,  while  I  lay  down  in  the  lee  of  the 
sledge  arid  made  my  notes  of  the  day's  work.  If  it  was  my 
turn  as  chef,  as  soon  as  the  kitchen  was  finished  I  took  pos- 
session of  it,  and  Astrup  retreated  to  the  shelter  of  the  sledge. 
While  the  snow  was  melting  I  wrote  up  my  notes,  Astrup 
usually  devoting  this  time  to  rubbing  vaseline  into  his  face  to 
repair  the  ravages  of  the  sun  and  wind.  As  soon  as  sufficient 
water  had  been  melted,  two  cupfuls  of  pea-soup  were  made, 
and  this,  with  a  half-pound  lump  of  pemmican,  formed  our 
first  course.  While  we  were  enjoying  this  the  water  for  our 
tea  was  brought  to  the  boiling-point.  Pea-soup  and  pemmi- 
can finished,  we  each  had  a  cupful  of  cold  milk,  and  when  this 
had  disappeared  the  tea  was  made ;  six  biscuits  apiece  formed 
our  dessert. 

When  our  luxurious  repast  was  over,  what  was  left  of  our 
day's  allowance  of  alcohol  was  allowed  to  expend  itself  on  a 
fresh  boilerful  of  snow  for  our  morning  tea,  while  the  cook 
made  his  preparations  for  the  night  by  changing  his  footgear 
and  tightening  the  drawstrings  of  his  furs.  In  addition  to  his 
other  duties,  the  cook  of  the  day  had  the  entire  responsibility, 
from  dinner-time  until  breakfast,  of  the  dogs,  and  it  was  the 
first  rigid  regulation  of  the  journey  that  he  should  always  be 


236  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

so  dressed  that  he  could  at  a  moment's  notice  jump  from  his 
shelter  and  capture  a  loose  dog.  The  dogs  were  always  fast- 
ened directly  in  front  of  the  opening  of  the  kitchen,  so  that 
the  occupant,  by  raising  his  head,  could  see  at  once  if  his  pres- 
ence were  needed.  During  the  first  portion  of  our  journey 
this  duty  was  an  onerous  one,  and  frequently  meant  a  sleep- 
less night ;  but  later  on,  after  several  of  the  dogs  had  received 
some  severe  discipline  for  attempted  thefts,  and  particularly 
after  we  had  adopted  the  plan  of  muzzling  them  every  night 
as  soon  as  they  had  finished  their  dinner,  we  had  but  little 
trouble. 

In  the  morning  I  was  generally  the  one  to  waken  first,  and 
would  either  start  the  alcohol-lamp  myself  or  else  call  Astrup 
for  that  purpose.  Our  morning  meal  consisted  of  a  lump  of 
pemmican,  six  biscuits,  two  ounces  of  butter,  and  two  cups  of 
tea  each.  As  soon  as  this  was  finished  everything  was  re- 
packed on  the  sledge,  and  while  Astrup  was  completing  the 
lashing,  I  removed  the  dogs'  muzzles,  untangled  their  traces, 
and  attached  them  to  the  sledge.  I  then  read  the  odometer, 
aneroid,  and  thermometer,  and,  taking  the  guidon,  which  had 
waved  and  fluttered  over  the  kitchen  throughout  our  hours  of 
rest,  from  its  place,  stepped  forward,  and  the  next  march  was 
commenced.  After  from  four  to  six  hours  of  marching  we 
would  halt  for  half  an  hour  to  eat  our  simple  lunch  of  pemmi- 
can and  give  the  dogs  a  rest,  and  then,  after  another  four  to 
six  hours  of  traveling,  halt  again  and  repeat  the  already  de- 
scribed routine. 


THE    GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY  237 

The  three  sledges  used  on  our  journey  were  the  survivors 
of  a  fleet  of  ten,  comprising  seven  different  styles.  They  con- 
sisted simply  of  two  long,  broad  wooden  runners  curved  at 
both  ends,  with  standards  supporting  light  but  strong  cross- 
bars. The  largest  sledge  was  thirteen  feet  long  and  two  feet 
wide,  with  runners  four  inches  wide  and  standards  six  inches 
high ;  this  sledge  had  no  particle  of  metal  in  its  construction, 
being  composed  entirely  of  wood,  horn,  and  rawhide  lashings. 
It  weighed  forty-eight  pounds,  and  carried  easily  a  load  of 
a  thousand  pounds.  After  a  two  hundred  and  fifty  mile  trip 
round  Inglefield  Gulf,  it  made  the  long  journey  to  the  north 
and  return  to  within  two  hundred  miles  of  McCormick  Bay, 
when  it  was  abandoned  for  a  lighter  sledge.  The  second 
sledge  was  eleven  feet  by  two,  with  three  and  one- half  inch 
runners  and  six-inch  standards.  It  weighed  thirty-five  pounds, 
and  carried  a  load  of  over  five  hundred  pounds.  It  broke 
down  on  the  upward  trip  and  was  abandoned.  The  third 
sledge,  made  by  Astrup,  was  ten  feet  by  sixteen  inches,  with 
three-inch  runners  and  two-inch  standards  ;  it  weighed  thirteen 
pounds,  and  carried  a  load  of  four  hundred  pounds.  This 
sledge  made  the  round  trip  of  thirteen  hundred  miles,  though 
carrying  a  load  for  only  about  eight  hundred  miles. 

The  result  of  this  extended  practical  experience  with  sledges 
has  been  to  show  me  that  my  previous  ideas  as  to  the  great 
superiority  of  the  toboggan  type  of  sledge  for  inland-ice  work 
(ideas  gained  during  my  reconnoissance  in  1 886,  east  of  Disko 
Bay)  were  erroneous,  and  that  the  sledge  with  broad  runners 


238  MY    ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

and  standards  is  the  sledge.  Also,  that  the  wear  upon  the 
runners  is  practically  ;///,  and  that  shoes  of  steel  or  ivory  are 
not  only  useless,  but  actually  increase  the  tractive  resistance. 

Of  even  greater  importance  to  our  successful  progress  dur- 
ing the  inland-ice  journey  than  our  sledges  were  the  ski,  or 
Norwegian  snow-skates.  Valuable  as  are  the  Indian  snow- 
shoes  for  Arctic  work,  the  ski  far  surpass  them  in  speed,  ease 
of  locomotion,  and  reduced  chances  of  chafing  or  straining  the 
feet.  On  the  upward  journey  I  alternated  between  the  snow- 
shoes  and  the  ski,  but  while  descending  the  northern  ice-slope 
I  had  the  misfortune  to  break  one  of  the  ski,  and  on  the  re- 
turn trip  was  obliged  to  use  the  snow-shoes  only.  Astrup 
used  ski  entirely  from  start  to  finish. 

I  am  satisfied  that  the  only  material  for  the  clothing  of  men 
traveling  upon  the  inland  ice  is  fur,  and  that  the  man  who 
dispenses  with  it  adds  to  the  weight  he  has  to  carry,  and 
compels  himself  to  endure  serious  drafts  upon  his  vitality,  to 
say  nothing  of  deliberately  choosing  discomfort  instead  of  com- 
fort. The  great  objection  urged  against  fur  clothing  is  that, 
allowing  the  evaporation  from  the  body  no  opportunity  to  es- 
cape, the  clothing  beneath  it  gets  saturated  while  the  wearer  is 
at  work,  and  then,  when  he  ceases,  he  becomes  thoroughly 
chilled.  This  trouble  is,  in  my  opinion,  due  entirely  to  inex- 
perience and  ignorance  of  how  to  use  the  fur  clothing.  It  was 
a  part  of  my  plan  to  obtain  the  material  for  my  fur  clothing 
and  sleeping-bags  in  the  Whale  Sound  region,  and  I  was  en- 
tirely successful  in  so  doing.  My  boys  shot  the  deer,  the 


THE    GREAT    WHITE   JOURNEY  239 

skins  were  stretched  and  dried  in  Redcliffe,  I  devised  and  cut 
the  patterns  for  the  suits  and  sleeping-bags,  and  the  native 
women  sewed  them.  As  a  result  of  my  study  of  the  Eskimo 
clothing  and  its  use,  I  adopted  it  almost  literatim,  and  my 
complete  wardrobe  consisted  of  a  hooded  deerskin  coat  weigh- 
ing five  and  one-fourth  pounds,  a  hooded  sealskin  coat  weigh- 
ing two  and  one-half  pounds,  a  pair  of  dogskin  knee-trousers 
weighing  three  pounds  nine  ounces,  sealskin  boots  with  woolen 
socks  and  fur  soles,  weighing  two  pounds,  and  an  undershirt ; 
total,  about  thirteen  pounds.  With  various  combinations  of 
this  outfit,  I  could  keep  perfectly  warm  and  yet  not  get  into 
a  perspiration,  in  temperatures  from  4-40°  F.  to  — 50°,  whether 
at  rest,  or  walking,  or  pulling  upon  a  sledge. 

The  deerskin  coat,  with  the  trousers,  footgear,  and  under- 
shirt, weighed  eleven  and  one-fourth  pounds,  or  about  the 
same  as  an  ordinary  winter  business  suit,  including  shoes,  un- 
derwear, etc.,  but  not  the  overcoat.  In  this  costume,  with  the 
fur  inside  and  the  drawstrings  at  waist,  wrists,  knees,  and  face 
pulled  tight,  I  have  seated  myself  upon  the  great  ice-cap  four 
thousand  feet  above  the  sea  with  the  thermometer  at  —38°, 
the  wind  blowing  so  that  I  could  scarcely  stand  against  it,  and 
with  back  to  the  wind  have  eaten  my  lunch  leisurely  and  in 
comfort ;  then,  stretching  myself  at  full  length  for  a  few  mo- 
ments, have  listened  to  the  fierce  hiss  of  the  snow  driving  past 
me  with  the  same  pleasurable  sensation  that,  seated  beside  the 
glowing  grate,  we  listen  to  the  roar  of  the  rain  upon  the  roof. 

Our  sleeping-bags,  also  of  the  winter  coat  of  the  deer,  with 


240  MY   ARCTIC   JOURNAL 

the  fur  inside,  were,  I  think,  the  lightest  and  warmest  ever 
used.  In  my  own  bag,  weighing  ten  and  one-fourth  pounds, 
I  have  slept  comfortably  out  upon  the  open  snow,  with  no 
shelter  whatever  and  the  thermometer  at  — 41°,  wearing  inside 
the  bag  only  undergarments.  During  the  inland-ice  journey, 
throughout  which  the  temperature  was  never  more  than  a 
degree  or  two  below  zero,  our  sleeping-bags  were  discarded, 
our  fur  clothing  being  ample  protection  for  us  when  asleep, 
even  though  I  carried  no  tent. 

While  the  variety  of  food  was  not  as  great  as  it  has  been 
on  some  other  expeditions,  I  doubt  if  any  party  ever  had  more 
healthy  or  nutritious  fare.  A  carefully  studied  feature  of  my 
project  was  the  entire  dependence  upon  the  game  of  the 
Whale  Sound  region  for  my  meat  supply ;  and  though  I  took 
an  abundance  of  tea,  coffee,  sugar,  milk,  flour,  corn-meal,  and 
evaporated  fruits  and  vegetables,  my  canned  meats  were  only 
sufficient  to  carry  us  over  the  period  of  installation,  with  a 
small  supply  for  short  sledge  journeys.  In  this  respect,  as  in 
others,  my  plans  were  fortunate  of  fulfilment,  and  we  were 
always  well  supplied  with  venison.  With  fresh  meat  and 
fresh  bread  every  day  we  could  smile  defiance  at  scurvy. 


NORTH  GREENLAND 

OF  1891 -'92 
R.E.PEARY,  U.S.N. 


& 


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